A special version of our regular Talking Points column that focuses on the World Championships and its main features:
The Venue
TWO venues have played host to the PDC’s flagship event. The Circus Tavern in Purfleet provided an intimate and raucous home from the inaugural staging in 1994 until 2007. It now provides the same function for the fast developing World Seniors.
Moving to Ally Pally gave the PDC capacity and flexibility to expand and as any attendee will recount it is now an experience in itself. This redoutable and unique venue can claim to pre-date any other current darts venue and to have outlasted them all.
One often hears venues wishing to be known, or thought of, as the “Home of World Darts”, Alexandra Palace has as good a claim as any. More than 15 years, through thick and thin, has seen the event expand in every direction.
Magical memories and moments include: Phil Taylor’s last win and retirement run, MvG coming of age, Rob Cross’s fairytale and the Fallon Sherrock breakthrough.
There will be many more as we move into a very healthy looking fourth decade.
The Trophy
THREE pieces of ‘silverware’ have been held aloft by PDC Champions. The first, a glass planetary style globe may have been first raised by Dennis Priestley but was effectively owned by The Power who raised it 11 times, including 8 in a row, before an update, silver and gold globe, was introduced with the change of venue in 2008.
Following the death of Sid Waddell in 2012, his contribution to the game was recognised by a new trophy, ‘Big Sid’, being commissioned.
Since 2013 there have been 8 names engraved on the Sid Waddell trophy. Seven of the names were new title winners, the first is the only name to appear on all three: Phil Taylor.
The Prize
TOTAL prize fund for the inaugural PDC World Championship in 1994? £64,000. 1994’s winner, Dennis “The Menace” Priestley, pocketed £16,000.
Although it was not to be sniffed at at the time, it certainly wasn’t the life changing sum that today’s £500k winners cheque can be. It has long been the ambition of those at the top of the sport to be able to offer a cool £1 million to the winner!
This year’s event will offer a total of over £2,500,000. Players managing to qualify for the pally are assured of a bumper pay day. Those managing a win or two can see their careers transformed, tour cards saved or family finances eased with one cheque. Commercial earning power is turbo charged, by having a World Championship on your CV, or even a prominent run.
The place in the history books and the holding aloft of the Sid Waddell trophy is more important to most. Their families, however,may well benefit more from the £1 million total financial rewards.
Triumphing at the PDC’s Ally Pally festival is a momentous moment that changes lives and adds another leaf to an ever growing history book.
DARTS WORLD EXTRA’s opening piece is often some bullet points that have provided interest, debate or conversation between darts players, fans and within the industry in the previous few weeks.
Talking Points proved so popular that it is now the opening section of every issue of Darts World Extra
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