News Focus
- PDC chief Matt Porter suggests the Premier League Darts format could change soon, stating fans should “watch this space”
- Current world champion Luke Littler and world number two Luke Humphries both want the competition to return to ten players instead of eight
- Gerwyn Price proposes adding a “Royal Rumble” element where outside challengers compete for a spot in the following year’s tournament
- The current format began in 2022 and features nightly knockout mini-tournaments, replacing the old round-robin system
- Porter admits balancing the needs of live arena crowds with television viewers presents a difficult challenge for organisers
Matt Porter, the chief executive of the Professional Darts Corporation, has strongly hinted that changes could come to the Premier League Darts competition. When asked about potential updates to how the tournament runs, he told supporters to “watch this space”.
Porter wants to prevent the weekly event, which runs from February through May, from becoming dull or predictable. Luke Littler won the most recent edition on Thursday evening in dramatic fashion.
The competition has followed its current structure since 2022. Eight top players compete in knockout events each evening across 16 weeks. These feature quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. Winners collect five points, runners-up take three, and defeated semi-finalists earn two. Those who lose in the last eight receive nothing.
Previously, the league used a different approach until 2021. Ten competitors played one match per evening in a round-robin format. After nine weeks, the bottom two players faced elimination on “Judgement Night”. The remaining eight continued for seven additional weeks, with the top four advancing to the play-offs.
World number one Luke Littler, who has won the Premier League twice, believes the old system worked better. Speaking to SportsBoom.co.uk, he said he would prefer one match per night with extra players included. He wants “Judgement Night” to return because he enjoyed watching the drama of elimination while growing up.
Current world champion Luke Humphries, ranked second globally, also supports expanding to ten competitors. He feels this would end arguments about which players deserve selection. However, he warned against increasing to twelve, saying this would reduce the elite nature of the competition. He noted that supporters desire fresh ideas and players want to deliver entertainment for them.
Gerwyn Price, who finished runner-up in 2023 and sits seventh in the world rankings, posted his suggestions on Facebook. He backed the ten-player format with single matches and elimination of the bottom two after nine weeks. He then proposed an innovative addition inspired by professional wrestling.
Price suggested a “Royal Rumble” clash between the second and third matches each evening. This would begin on night one with two random players from outside the main ten. The winner progresses to the following week and faces a new unknown opponent, discovering their identity only when entrance music plays. After sixteen weeks, the Rumble champion would receive a belt, prize money and automatic qualification for the next Premier League season.
Porter recognises the difficulty in pleasing everyone. He explained that fans attending arenas want to see a champion crowned each evening with tension until the final dart. Television audiences, however, wish to see top stars competing directly every week with greater variety. He confirmed the organisation constantly reviews options but acknowledges not everyone will agree with whatever decision they make.