This weekend’s PDC Women’s Series will break new ground for the sport, as the battle for Betfred Women’s World Matchplay qualification concludes in Barnsley.
Alongside the action on the oche, with £20,000 in prize money available across four tournaments, the third weekend of this year’s PDC Women’s Series will feature a majority-female production crew for the PDCTV streaming coverage for the first time.
The global coverage of Events 9-12 on June 25-26, operated by Loop Productions, will also see Abigail Davies making her PDC commentary debut at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Loop Productions have enjoyed a long association with the PDC, notably with the production of live streaming for PDC Players Championship events, and this weekend will provide another landmark moment in their coverage.
"I think it’s such a great achievement to not only have a female commentator, but also a majority-female production crew," said Rachel Jones, who will be producing this weekend’s action in Barnsley.
"In the past few years, female presence within the sport has been so prominent on screen, and this is a great chance to show young girls that there are more opportunities in sport other than just presenting.
"Representation within women’s darts is growing, and I think this is another step forward in the growth of not only the production and representation of women’s darts, but the production of all darts events."
On the oche, this will be a crucial weekend at the Women’s Series, with qualification places for next month’s inaugural Betfred Women’s World Matchplay up for grabs.
The new £25,000 tournament will be the first fully-televised women’s tournament staged by the PDC, as the investment in developing the sport continues.
The eight-player event will see the game’s leading female stars competing in a knockout format on the afternoon of Sunday July 24, at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool, with a £10,000 top prize on offer.
The top eight players on the PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit following this weekend’s events will qualify for next month’s showpiece, with a spot at the Grand Slam of Darts also on the line for the eventual champion.
Former PDC Tour Card holder Lisa Ashton will be making her Blackpool bow after winning five of the opening eight events, while history-maker Fallon Sherrock is also set to headline at the Winter Gardens.
Ten-time Lakeside Champion Trina Gulliver is among the provisional qualifiers for this year’s inaugural staging, with former PDC World Championship qualifier Mikuru Suzuki currently amongst those players outside of the qualification places.
This weekend's PDC Women’s Series action will be streamed through PDCTV with coverage throughout each event on June 25-26 starting from approximately 1015 BST.
Click here to purchase Betfred Women's World Matchplay tickets.