Prize Fund Boost For PDC Events

THE prize fund for the McCoy's Premier League Darts will increase by over 15% to £520,000 this year - with the eventual champion taking home a £150,000 first prize in May.

The ten players, headed by reigning champion Phil Taylor, will face each other once over the opening nine weeks of the season, before the bottom two players from the league table are eliminated following the night nine in Brighton.

The remaining eight players will then face off again over the remaining five weeks - doubling up on some nights - before the top four players progress to the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on Thursday May 16.

The increase in prize money for the McCoy's Premier League Darts follows the announcement that the winner of the 2014 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship will earn a £250,000 prize and that prize funds for European Tour events will increase by almost 25% to £100,000 per event.

"Darts within the PDC is booming at the moment and it's important that this growth is reflected in our prize money," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

"We've experienced record crowds and record television ratings around the world for major tournaments over the last 12 months, which is a credit to the ever-increasing quality of play on show from the stars of our sport.

"While the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship and McCoy's Premier League Darts events are the first prize fund increases we have been able to confirm so far, I'm delighted to announce that we're also reviewing the prize money for all other PDC events and expect to make further increases in due course.

"These are exciting times to be a professional darts player!"

The McCoy's Premier League Darts will begin on Thursday February 7 at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast and is played for 15 successive Thursdays in major arenas across the UK & Ireland - click here for full ticket information.

2013 McCoy's Premier League Darts Prize Money