The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is delighted to announce that Holsten Pils will be the title sponsor of the 2006 Premier League Darts.
The Holsten Premier League Darts will start on February 16 at St George's Hall, Blackburn and culminate with a finals night to be played in Plymouth at the end of May. Matches between seven top professionals take place on Thursday nights at ten different venues across the country. All matches will be screened live on Sky Sports One.
Last year's winner, Phil Taylor, will defend his trophy against opponents who include current world number one Colin Lloyd, Premier League newcomer Ronnie Baxter, Dutch star Roland Scholten and crowd favourite Wayne Mardle. The final two players will be confirmed in January shortly after the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
The top four from the league series will progress to the play-offs, where £50,000 is on offer to the winner of the final and £30,000 to the runner-up from the total prize fund of £167,500, making the Holsten Premier League Darts the second most lucrative event on the PDC's £2m-plus circuit.
"Holsten Pils leads the Pils category and by uniting with darts, the second most watched sport on Sky Sports, we have a fantastic opportunity to put ourselves at the heart of British popular culture," said Gareth Roberts, Sponsorship Controller at Carlsberg UK.
Tim Darby, PDC Chief Executive, is also delighted with the new sponsorship package: "Premier League Darts has become a firm favourite with both players and fans alike. We had lots of great games with some dramatic comebacks last year so I'm sure the 2006 Holsten Premier League Darts will be even more successful."
Holsten Premier League matches are scheduled to take place in Blackburn, Sunderland, Aberdeen, Wolverhampton, Bournemouth, Carlisle, Newport, Doncaster and Reading. The play-offs will take place on May 29 at Plymouth Pavilions.
Calendar of Holsten Premier League Events in 2006
| DATE | VENUE | TICKETS ON SALE FROM |
| 16 February | King George's Hall, Blackburn | 29 December 2005 01254 582582 SOLD OUT |
| 23 February | Seaburn Leisure Centre, Sunderland | 16 January 2006 0191 5294091 SOLD OUT |
| 2 March | AECC Aberdeen | 30 December 2005 0870 27 26 600 SOLD OUT |
| 16 March | Wolverhampton Civic | 3 January 2006 01902 55 21 21 SOLD OUT |
| 23 March | Bournemouth International Centre | 2 January 2006 0870 111 3000 SOLD OUT |
| 30 March | Carlisle Sands Centre | 29 December 2005 01228 625 222 SOLD OUT |
| 6 April | Newport Centre | 9 January 2006 01633 656 757 SOLD OUT |
| 20 April | Doncaster Dome | 2 January 2006 01302 370 777 SOLD OUT |
| 27 April | The Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre | 20 January 2006 08700 131030 SOLD OUT |
| 4 May | Reading Rivermead Centre | 9 January 2006 0118 960 6060 SOLD OUT |
| 29 May - Play-Offs | Plymouth Pavilions | 6 January 2006 01752 22 99 22 SOLD OUT |