PDC to introduce a Pro Tour Card from January 2011 - Terrible Idea!

Kingp35

Has anyone else read about this? I think it's an awful idea! Here is what it means and this is lifted directly from a letter written by Barry Hearn

From January 2011 the top 96 ranked players from the official Order of Merit will receive their Tour Card and be eligible to play in PDC events.

A further 32 Tour Cards will be available from the Qualification School to be held in early January 2011.

The PDC Pro Tour will be restricted on all UK events to 128 players and to feature on the official Order of Merit a player will have to compete in a minimum of 12 events in the calendar year.

A committee of Rod Harrington, Alan Warriner-Little and Matt Porter will report to the PDC and the PDPA with a more detailed proposal which will be advised to all players before the end of this year.

This basically means that players will no longer be able to pay there entry money and play in a PDC Tournament. You will now have to enter a qualifying tournament in January to play for your right to a Tour Card. You will also have to play a minimum of 12 events throughout the year for you to be officially on the Order of Merit. You will have to pay £1000 for your Tour Card should you win one.

This is obviously fine for the top professionals but surely this is a serious problem for any up and coming dart players like people on this site. First of all it's going to be VERY hard to win a Tour Card as there will be hundreds of players going for one. Secondly it's a huge financial commitment as you have to pay your initial £1000 and then entry fee's etc. for the 12 tournaments you have to pay. There will be no up and and coming youngsters etc. breaking onto the scene anymore and we will be stuck with the same players for a year.

Darts to me has always been the working mans game and open to everyone. i loved the fact I could turn up a tournament one day, pay money and give it a go. This sounds like the PDC are becoming too elitist and making it much harder for players to break into the world of darts. I'm not happy about this at all.

I'm interested to hear what you lads think, especially you lads who play at a high standard.

Degag

Yeah, terrible idea. They're trying to go down the golf route. However golfers who do not receive tour cards can still get invitations to big events or qualify through other means and even if they don't, there is still lucrative prize money to be played for on the smaller tours. Darts will not be like this. Anyone who doesn't make it into the top 128 will basically have to give up the game or at least go part time.

CHD

I like it and think it will work well

Degag

CHD wrote: »

I like it and think it will work well

It may work well for the elite players but thats about it. The PDC was never like the BDO in terms of promoting darts at grassroots level but it has totally alienated that aspect now. I guess it also means that if a top BDO player switched sides, it could take upwards of a year before they made the elite grup of players.

ciarraibhoy

Good idea in my opinion.

ciarraibhoy

Kingp35 wrote: »

This is obviously fine for the top professionals but surely this is a serious problem for any up and coming dart players like people on this site. First of all it's going to be VERY hard to win a Tour Card as there will be hundreds of players going for one. Secondly it's a huge financial commitment as you have to pay your initial £1000 and then entry fee's etc. for the 12 tournaments you have to pay. There will be no up and and coming youngsters etc. breaking onto the scene anymore and we will be stuck with the same players for a year.

There are only a few PDC tournaments you can play in if your not a paid up PDPA player, and to join the PDPA at the moment is a £250 joining fee + £250 a year. To enter a PDC tourney is £100 a time as is the entry to the comp later this year in Killarney. If you play in the qualifiers for the UK open and get through you then have to join the PDPA before you are allowed to compete. Hearn is all about creating an elite set up with no interest in promoting the game for young players etc. BDO, IDPA and WDF players are not allowed to participate in PDC comps unless they fork out £500 and join the PDPA but there are no such restrictions for PDPA players playing in BDO, IDPA or WDF tournaments as was the case in Coventry last week with several of the top PDPA players taking part in a BDO competion and some PDPA players still play county darts.

Evolution Enter

I think it's a great idea, the PDC positions itself as the premier league of darts/ What's more I think it will benefit the BDO

CORRO77

What a stupid idea how much will it cost an up and coming player to compete in 12 events. Travel hotels entry fees ,most up and coming players work and would find it hard to make 12 events and to compete in 12 events at an average of £100 is alot of money before you even throw a dart, it will cost you 500 just to join.As kingp35 says its agame for everyone the man in the street you didnt need to be a millionaire to play .Now it is going to put it outside the normal player who is a working man wit asperations of going pro you wont be able to afford to turn pro .

Evolution Enter

The PDC has never been the everymans game. The PDC has always been the elite, because it was formed by the elite throwers themselves.

The PDC refresh it's ranks by poaching the elite of the BDO! Barney, Klassen, van Gerwen, King, van der Voort, Anderson, Webster etc..........just in the last few years

The PDC is no place for an up and comer, end of story. An up and comer should prove himself in the BDO, where he/she will be given ample opportunity on a cheaper circuit with smaller prize funds! Make your name there and sponsors will more than aid in covering the cost of a PDC tour card if you are deemed good enough.

That's why I said this may be a good idea, both for the PDC and inadvertently the BDO!

ciarraibhoy

Evolution Enter wrote: »

The PDC has never been the everymans game. The PDC has always been the elite, because it was formed by the elite throwers themselves.

The PDC refresh it's ranks by poaching the elite of the BDO! Barney, Klassen, van Gerwen, King, van der Voort, Anderson, Webster etc..........just in the last few years

The PDC is no place for an up and comer, end of story. An up and comer should prove himself in the BDO, where he/she will be given ample opportunity on a cheaper circuit with smaller prize funds! Make your name there and sponsors will more than aid in covering the cost of a PDC tour card if you are deemed good enough.

That's why I said this may be a good idea, both for the PDC and inadvertently the BDO!

You hit the nail on the head there.

CORRO77

Evolution Enter wrote: »

The PDC has never been the everymans game. The PDC has always been the elite, because it was formed by the elite throwers themselves.

The PDC refresh it's ranks by poaching the elite of the BDO! Barney, Klassen, van Gerwen, King, van der Voort, Anderson, Webster etc..........just in the last few years

The PDC is no place for an up and comer, end of story. An up and comer should prove himself in the BDO, where he/she will be given ample opportunity on a cheaper circuit with smaller prize funds! Make your name there and sponsors will more than aid in covering the cost of a PDC tour card if you are deemed good enough.

That's why I said this may be a good idea, both for the PDC and inadvertently the BDO!

Good point .

jamesbere

i think this is a great idea, its goin to stop so many good players from chasing after the pdc dream and bring some very talented players into the BDO.

If players want to get into the pdc they would be better off playing in the bdo and working there way up the ladder.