Barry Hearn announces huge PDC World Championship change as he addresses Ally Pally future

Barry Hearn has announced a large alteration to the PDC World Darts Championship that volition footwear successful adjacent twelvemonth and has hinted astatine different which involves Alexandra Palace

The PDC World Darts Championship volition acquisition a monolithic alteration adjacent year, with Barry Hearn announcing that 128 players volition instrumentality portion successful the 2025/26 edition.

The erstwhile PDC main and Matchroom president, 76, besides suggested that Alexandra Palace, which has been location to the tourney since 2007, could beryllium bumped for a bigger venue successful bid to capitalise connected the sport's skyrocketing popularity, peculiarly successful the aftermath of Luke Littler's detonation onto the scene.

Increasing the fig of players by 32 volition mean an other 32 matches and 4 further days volition beryllium added to the contention successful 13 months' time. Speaking to Jeff Stelling connected talkSPORT, Hearn revealed that 90,000 tickets to this year's world title were bought "in 15 minutes" and claimed that astir quadruple that fig could person been sold.

"I asked my radical successful caput office, 'Tell me, however galore could I person sold?' They said, determination implicit 300,000. Now that puts a antithetic accent connected it," helium said.

"Same arsenic erstwhile we moved from the Circus Tavern each those years ago, present I’m looking astatine Alexandra Palace. And I’m saying, well, it lone holds 3,500. I person to turn each the time. If you ever get complacent you spell backwards.

"So, adjacent twelvemonth we volition spell from 96 to 128 players. We volition adhd 4 much days, which is 8 sessions, which is different 25,000 tickets. Sooner oregon later, I should beryllium looking and saying: 'Do you know, similar with snooker, I request a bigger venue'. I mean I tin merchantability retired immoderate arena successful the world. But tin I bash it for 30 oregon 40 sessions?

"That’s the cardinal contented due to the fact that the ambiance makes it a large night. We sold 1,500 tickets for the Premier League last this year. And we advertised it that you cannot spot the signifier from these seats. People bought the tickets. They wanted to beryllium a portion of the show."

Just 24 players took portion successful the inaugural PDC World Championship backmost successful 1993/94, which was held astatine the Circus Tavern successful Essex. The winner, Dennis Priestley, pocketed £64,000 successful prize money. By contrast, Luke Humphries made £2.5million for winning past year's edition, which had a tract of 96 players.

It demonstrates the magnitude of the sport's detonation into the mainstream, and Hearn is understandably keen to proceed capitalising connected it amid a immense spike successful popularity pursuing teenage sensation Littler's emergence. A grounds 4.8m radical tuned successful to ticker Humphries pip Littler successful the last successful January, with a highest assemblage of 3.7m.

The fig represents a 143 per cent summation connected the 2023 final, successful which Michael Smith bushed Michael van Gerwen successful a thrilling contention which featured Wayne Mardle's iconic "I can't spake" commentary aft Smith landed an unthinkable nine-darter seconds aft Van Gerwen had missed the accidental to bash the aforesaid thing.

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