THE 2014 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship is set to welcome record crowds following unsurpassed early sales for the tournament.
The 21st PDC World Championship will be staged from Friday December 13-Wednesday January 1 at North London's Alexandra Palace, where 72 players from around the world will compete for the Sid Waddell Trophy and over £1 million in prize money.
The PDC have enjoyed record early sales for the event, with around 8,000 tickets being sold during last week's Priority Sales period and over 10,000 tickets being snapped up on the first day of General Sale on Monday July 1.
"We knew that the launch of tickets for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship was being eagerly awaited but are overwhelmed by the response we've seen from darts-hungry fans around the world," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"The demand for tickets has been so great that our ticketing partners SeeTickets even opened extra telephone lines to handle all the calls they were receiving when tickets went on General Sale.
"To have seen over a third of all available tickets sold six months before the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship begins is an indication of the event's growing status not just as darts' greatest tournament but also as a major fixture in the international sporting calendar.
"Last year's World Championship was quite simply the most exciting event ever - we had two nine-dart finishes, countless thrilling matches and a captivating final between Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
"The 2014 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship promises to be even greater as the stars of our sport continue to push each other and raise the standard, and we're seeing new faces emerging all the time to challenge their more established rivals."
Tickets for the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship are available online through http://pdc.seetickets.com or by calling 0844 871 8807 (calls cost 6p per minute from a BT landline plus standard network charge). Fans from outside of the UK would call 0044 114 223 9817.
Hospitality Packages to watch the event are also available, and can be purchased through the PDC Head Office by calling 08712 501 180 and selecting Option 4.
Tickets are also available through Viagogo, the official ticket exchange partner of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, at www.viagogo.co.uk and Hotel & Ticket Packages are available through Thomas Cook Sport at www.thomascooksport.com.