THE Rileys Amateur Qualifiers for the 2017 Coral UK Open will commence on Friday, when the first of 32 qualifiers for Butlins Minehead are discovered.
THE Rileys Amateur Qualifiers will be held during January and February, giving amateur players their chance to secure a place competing alongside the sport's biggest names in "The FA Cup of Darts" when the 2017 Coral UK Open is held from March 3-5 at the Butlins Minehead Resort, live on ITV4.
Rileys will be staging a series of knockout tournaments to produce the 32 Amateur Qualifiers for the 2017 tournament - meaning that anybody could qualify for this exciting championship, where play is held simultaneously across eight stages across the Butlins complex.
At the 2016 finals, Rileys Benfleet qualifier Barry Lynn famously progressed to the quarter-finals, where he was eventually defeated by world number one and eventual winner Michael van Gerwen on the main stage in Minehead.
Lynn defeated reigning World Champion Gary Anderson en route to the last eight as he scooped £10,000 in prize money!
Another notable triumph from Team Rileys included Rob Cross' run to the last 32 before also succumbing to van Gerwen, who hit a nine-dart finish in the match.
In total, five of the 32 Rileys qualifiers made it to round three - and in 2017, it could be you!
Entry costs £6 per Qualifier - including a free drink voucher, or a £3.50 cashback voucher in Scotland - and players are permitted to compete in more than one of the knockouts.
Many venues will be hosting two events and both the London Victoria and Wolverhampton Rileys Sports Bars each providing two qualifiers from each of their two events.
Other Rileys Sports Bars to be hosting knockouts are listed below, with the Amateur Qualifiers to take place between January 20 and February 11 2017.
Entries are being taken via www.rileys.co.uk/tournaments
Full Terms & Conditions and Tournament Rules are also available at the Rileys website.
Dates & Venues
Friday January 20
London Victoria (Two Players Qualify)
Saturday January 21
Chester
Sheffield
Twickenham
Wolverhampton (Two Players Qualify)
Saturday January 28
Coventry
Greenock
Harlow
Liverpool
Norwich
Nottingham
Sunday January 29
Leicester
South Benfleet
Friday February 3
Aberdeen
Saturday February 4
Chester
Chorlton
Norwich
Sheffield
Wolverhampton (Two Players Qualify)
Sunday February 5
Coventry
London Victoria
South Benfleet
Worcester
Friday February 10
Nottingham
Saturday February 11
Greenock
Liverpool
Solihull
Twickenham ** Moved from original date of Saturday February 4 **