THE Professional Darts Corporation are delighted to announce that Raymond van Barneveld, the greatest Dutch darts player in history, has joined the PDC and will compete in the 2006 Holsten Premier League Darts.
In one of the biggest developments in the history of the sport, four-time BDO World Champion van Barneveld has decided to join the world's leading professional darts body.
The 38-year-old from Den Haag is be the seventh and final player to be confirmed for the 2006 Holsten Premier League Darts, which begins in Blackburn on Thursday.
He will take on the likes of 13-time World Champion Phil Taylor and current world number one Colin Lloyd over the next three months in a bid to scoop the £50,000 first prize.
Van Barneveld will also move full time onto the Professional Darts Corporation's circuit of tournaments, allowing him to compete in the richest event in the game, the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
"It gives me great pleasure to welcome Raymond to the Professional Darts Corporation," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"This is an extremely significant move, not just for Raymond but the sport of darts.
"He has enjoyed a wonderful career so far and will only move on to bigger and better things in the coming years as part of the exciting future we are offering professional players worldwide."
Barneveld will face another Premier League newcomer, Ronnie Baxter, in Blackburn when the 2006 tournament begins on Thursday.
"It's a new challenge for me," said van Barneveld, who is nicknamed "The Man".
"You want to play every week against the best players in the world, including the best - Phil Taylor, and I'm looking forward to it.
"The time was right for me to make this decision. You want to play with the best players in the world and I'm very happy to be here."
Defending champion Taylor will open the night's matches against Wayne Mardle before returning to face Colin Lloyd in the fourth and final game. Roland Scholten and Peter Manley will meet in the evening's other game.
Taylor welcomed Barneveld to the PDC, and said: "He's a fantastic player and he has stepped up a gear now.
"Everyone's talking about him coming and we've all been practising harder because of that. It's a new challenge for all of us, especially in the Holsten Premier League.
"I'll be trying so hard to win this because it's a great tournament to win and you've got to be consistent over ten weeks."
The Professional Darts Corporation have also announced a five-year contract with Dutch television station SBS-6, who have an agreement with pay-TV provider Sport1 in the Netherlands (formerly Canal+) who will broadcast every night of the league live.
Click here to download Raymond van Barneveld's ringtone in the PDC Mobile Zone
Holsten Premier League Darts - Opening Night Fixtures
Wayne Mardle v Phil Taylor
Peter Manley v Roland Scholten
Raymond van Barneveld v Ronnie Baxter
Phil Taylor v Colin Lloyd
King George's Hall, Blackburn
Live on Sky Sports One from 7.30pm