The Professional Darts Corporation is pleased to announce that live darts will return on Wednesday July 8 with the launch of the PDC Summer Series.
The Summer Series will see all 128 Tour Card Holders given the chance to compete in five one-day Players Championship events from July 8-12, played behind closed doors at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes subject to the UK Government quarantine policy on overseas visitors.
As with all 2020 Players Championship events, prize money will stand at £75,000 per event, with all winnings counting towards the relevant PDC Orders of Merit.
In the event that quarantine restrictions make it impractical for non-UK players to travel to the events, the PDC will announce a revised schedule of non-ranked events for the same dates.
PDC Chairman Barry Hearn said: “Throughout the challenging times of recent weeks we have continuously explored different ways of getting players back on the oche and live darts back on fans’ screens.
“I was proud of our players and staff who broadcast 43 nights of live remote darts through the innovative PDC Home Tour, which thrust darts into the limelight in a unique way at a time when almost all other sports were unable to provide any form of competitive action.
“Prior to the Home Tour, I outlined the three-stage plan for the return of darts, starting with events played remotely, followed by events played behind closed doors, before events can be played in front of crowds.
“I am delighted that we are now able to move on to the second stage of that plan, and hopefully we will be able to safely welcome crowds back to our events in the not-too-distant future.
“The PDC Summer Series will provide a welcome return of live darts for both players and fans alike, and I’m sure the event will whet the appetite for the prestigious Betfred World Matchplay.
“We appreciate the patience of our players in recent weeks as we worked to secure these events, and further details will be confirmed to them in due course.”
The PDC understands that players will have further questions regarding these events and we can assure them that as soon as details are able to be confirmed we will release the information appropriately. The PDC’s intention at this time is to confirm the dates and proposed format of the events so that players can begin to prepare for a return to competitive events and plan accordingly. Please be aware that hotel bookings for the Summer Series will be handled centrally by the PDC and players should not contact the Marshall Arena directly to make reservations.