THE prize money on offer in professional darts will almost double next year after the Professional Darts Corporation announced its record-breaking £5 million-plus tour for 2009.
Five televised tournaments will boast a winner's cheque of at least £100,000, with the 2010 Ladbrokes.com PDC World Championship moving up to £1 million in prize money, including £200,000 to the champion.
The 2009 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts and PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts will offer prize funds of £400,000, with the champion taking home £125,000.
The World Matchplay and SkyBet World Grand Prix, both leading PDC major televised events, will offer £100,000 to the 2009 winners and have respective prize funds of £400,000 and £350,000.
"This is a massive advance for the sport of professional darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn. "Fuelled by our record TV ratings and huge live gates, the PDC is now in a position to increase prize money levels that will make millionaires of the top darts players.
"Our growth in the last five years has been nothing less than dramatic and we are committed to taking this sport even further forward.
"Our overseas investment is creating a truly global game and the introduction of a Tour Card for 2011 will confirm our status as a major sport.
"This is already a very good time to be a professional darts player with the PDC and the future is looking even brighter."
The PDC will also increase the prize fund for Players Championship events and Blue Square UK Open Regional Finals, which comprise the PDC Pro Tour, to £30,000 per event.
That will ensure at least 40 PDC Pro Tour event will be held in 2009, with £6,000 to the winner at each, and a minimum of 58 PDC-organised tournaments worldwide.
The PDC's Board of Directors met with representatives of the Professional Darts Players Association and Darts Regulation Authority in Cork last week to discuss plans for the future of professional darts.
The PDC will adopt a Tour Card system in 2011, which will see the leading 96 players from the PDC Order of Merit following the 2011 PDC World Championship automatically earn their place on that year's PDC Pro Tour.
They will be joined by 32 players from a Qualifying School event, with consultations now ongoing with the PDPA to prepare for this move.
PDPA Chairman Peter Manley, on behalf of the PDPA Board of Directors, said: "The Tour Card and Qualifying School is without doubt the most exciting initiative in World Darts for many years.
"It will give all players an equal opportunity to compete on the PDC Pro Tour and earn the right to be a professional in their chosen sport.
"We, the PDPA, fully support the Tour Card and Qualifying School and are delighted that we participated in the initial planning and have been involved in its implementation alongside the PDC. We believe that, through this initiative, world darts will become one of the major forces in world sport."
Prize money has increased vastly in recent years on the PDC circuit, with just over £1 million paid in 2005 and over £3 million being paid to players in 2007
Additionally, prize money for the 2009 PDC World Championship will represent an increase of almost seven times from the 1999 event, which paid out a total of £104,000 and just £30,000 to the champion.
2009 PDC Prize Money
* Further events to be announced in due course
2009 PDC Pro Tour Prize Money
Five televised tournaments will boast a winner's cheque of at least £100,000, with the 2010 Ladbrokes.com PDC World Championship moving up to £1 million in prize money, including £200,000 to the champion.
The 2009 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts and PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts will offer prize funds of £400,000, with the champion taking home £125,000.
The World Matchplay and SkyBet World Grand Prix, both leading PDC major televised events, will offer £100,000 to the 2009 winners and have respective prize funds of £400,000 and £350,000.
"This is a massive advance for the sport of professional darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn. "Fuelled by our record TV ratings and huge live gates, the PDC is now in a position to increase prize money levels that will make millionaires of the top darts players.
"Our growth in the last five years has been nothing less than dramatic and we are committed to taking this sport even further forward.
"Our overseas investment is creating a truly global game and the introduction of a Tour Card for 2011 will confirm our status as a major sport.
"This is already a very good time to be a professional darts player with the PDC and the future is looking even brighter."
The PDC will also increase the prize fund for Players Championship events and Blue Square UK Open Regional Finals, which comprise the PDC Pro Tour, to £30,000 per event.
That will ensure at least 40 PDC Pro Tour event will be held in 2009, with £6,000 to the winner at each, and a minimum of 58 PDC-organised tournaments worldwide.
The PDC's Board of Directors met with representatives of the Professional Darts Players Association and Darts Regulation Authority in Cork last week to discuss plans for the future of professional darts.
The PDC will adopt a Tour Card system in 2011, which will see the leading 96 players from the PDC Order of Merit following the 2011 PDC World Championship automatically earn their place on that year's PDC Pro Tour.
They will be joined by 32 players from a Qualifying School event, with consultations now ongoing with the PDPA to prepare for this move.
PDPA Chairman Peter Manley, on behalf of the PDPA Board of Directors, said: "The Tour Card and Qualifying School is without doubt the most exciting initiative in World Darts for many years.
"It will give all players an equal opportunity to compete on the PDC Pro Tour and earn the right to be a professional in their chosen sport.
"We, the PDPA, fully support the Tour Card and Qualifying School and are delighted that we participated in the initial planning and have been involved in its implementation alongside the PDC. We believe that, through this initiative, world darts will become one of the major forces in world sport."
Prize money has increased vastly in recent years on the PDC circuit, with just over £1 million paid in 2005 and over £3 million being paid to players in 2007
Additionally, prize money for the 2009 PDC World Championship will represent an increase of almost seven times from the 1999 event, which paid out a total of £104,000 and just £30,000 to the champion.
2009 PDC Prize Money
| MAJORS | 2008 Prize Money | 2009 Prize Money | 2009 Winner |
| Players Championship TV Finals | n/a | £200,000 | £50,000 |
| UK Open | £178,000 | £200,000 | £40,000 |
| Las Vegas Desert Classic | £126,000 | £200,000 | £30,000 |
| World Matchplay | £300,000 | £400,000 | £100,000 |
| World Grand Prix | £250,000 | £350,000 | £100,000 |
| European Championship | £230,000 | £230,000 | £50,000 |
| German Darts Championship | £75,000 | £100,000 | £25,000 |
| PDC World Darts Championship | £740,000 | £1,000,000 | £200,000 |
| NON-RANKING * | |||
| Premier League Darts | £340,000 | £400,000 | £125,000 |
| Grand Slam of Darts | £350,000 | £401,000 | £125,000 |
2009 PDC Pro Tour Prize Money
| 2008 Players Championships | 2008 UK Open Regional Finals | All 2009 PDC Pro Tour Events | |
| Winner | £5,000 | £6,000 | £6,000 |
| Runner-Up | £2,500 | £3,000 | £3,000 |
| 3-4th | £1,250 | £1,600 | £1,500 |
| 5-8th | £600 | £800 | £800 |
| 9-16th | £300 | £400 | £400 |
| 17-32nd | £150 | £200 | £300 |
| 33-64th | £75 | £100 | £200 |
| Nine-Dart Rolling Prize Fund | £400 | - | £400 |
| Total | £20,000 | £25,000 | £30,000 |