The PDC World Darts Championship is one of the most important darts championships held annually. Top players from all over the world join this competition, hoping to grab the grand trophy – the Sid Waddell Trophy. If you’re an avid or a casual player who follows official competitions, then the PDC World Darts Championship is definitely on your list of most anticipated events. Learn more about how this competition started, what it involves, and where it takes place.
As its name suggests, the PDC World Darts Championship is organized by the Professional Darts Corporation, also known as the PDC. This renowned competition is also called the William Hill World Darts Championship for sponsorship purposes.
The time of the year when players challenge each other during this renowned contest is winter. The PDC World Darts Championship starts in December and ends in January. The place where it all happens is the Alexandra Palace in London, the venue of the competition for the past 13 years. Prior to this, between 1994 and 2007, the venue of the tournament was located in Essex at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet.
This is one of the oldest darts championships in the world. Its first edition was organized in 1994 after the World Darts Council and the British Darts Organization (BDO) decided to part ways and become distinct entities. The first PDC World Darts Championship was broadcast on satellite television.
Since the first edition of this tournament, there have been 10 different winners who managed to take home the big trophy home. By the way, nowadays this trophy is called the Sid Waddell Trophy in honor of a famous darts commentator who died a few years ago.
One of the most prominent players who managed to conquer the trophy more than once was Phil Taylor who market his final victory in 3013. Other champions with repeated victories were Gary Anderson (2 times), Adrian Lewis (2 times), Michael van Gerwen (3 times), John Part (2 times). The tournament’s first winner was Dennis Priestley and the last two winners for 2020 and 2021 were Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price.
The player who had the highest number of appearances at the tournament was Philip Taylor. The youngest player to join the competition was Mitchell Clegg who was only 16 years old when he participated in the 2007 edition. The youngest finalist was Kirk Shepherd, aged 21 at the 2008 final. In the 2019 edition, the tournament registered the largest number of 180s – 828.
Each year, the winner of the competition receives a prize. The amounts granted to the best players have changed over time. Between 1994 and 2001, the prizes were lower compared to the prize fund offered in BDO tournaments. However, starting 2002, the prize amount of the PDC tournament surpassed that of the BDO. Since 2019, the prize fund of the PDC competition is more than $3,350,000 and the final winner gets more than $650,000.
Currently, the PDC World Darts Championship is the only international competition of its level, being the only official word tournament. This is because its former competitor, the British Darts Organization, has gone into liquidation. However, in the near future, we might expect a new international darts tournament to start taking place as the World Darts Federation has announced its intention to start organizing its own championship.
We are looking forward to seeing how the PDC World Darts Championship will unfold in the following years and whether it will soon have a competing tournament. For similar topics, stay tuned to our blog, and don’t hesitate to check out our catalog for sturdy darts gear.
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