THE Junior Darts Corporation circuit is to provide a further chance for young prospects to move into the professional game after introducing a Q School to find three players to win the chance to compete on the 2017 PDC Unicorn Development Tour.
The Modus-sponsored JDC tour has two Tour Events remaining this year before the 16-player Grand Final, which will conclude with the final on stage at London's Alexandra Palace during the William Hill World Darts Championship.
Event Five will be held in Bristol, with Event Six to take place in Essex on December 3 ahead of the early rounds of the Grand Final, which will feature the six Tour Event winners, five players from the UK Tour Order of Merit and five players from the JDC Academy Rankings.
Following a new partnership with the PDPA, a JDC Qualifying School has now been introduced on Sunday December 4, allowing three players to receive a PDPA Scholarship to compete on the PDC Unicorn Development Tour next year.
The JDC Q School will be open to JDC Members who will be aged 16 on January 1 2017, and under 18 on the day of the event on December 4 2016.
"We're mirroring what the PDC do with their Q School event and the JDC Q School is built around dovetailing into the PDC system," said JDC Chairman Steve Brown.
"From the very beginning, we wanted to put darts in kids’ hands and then nurture them all the way through to the Development Tour and beyond. With the support of the PDC and the PDPA, we can now achieve this goal."
JDC European Championship winner Jim Moston and JDC Order of Merit leader John Brown (pictured above) competed last week in the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship in Wigan - with Brown winning through to the quarter-finals in an impressive run.
Forthcoming JDC Events
Modus JDC Tour Event Five
Saturday November 12
Snooker City, Broad Walk Shopping Centre, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 2QU
Modus JDC Tour Event Six & JDC Tour Grand Final Early Rounds
Saturday December 3
Crowne Plaza Resort, Colchester, Essex, CM9 8HX
JDC Q School For 2017 PDC Unicorn Development Tour
Sunday December 4
Crowne Plaza Resort, Colchester, Essex, CM9 8HX
JDC Tour Grand Final
Saturday December 17
Alexandra Palace, London
For further details, see www.juniordarts.com.