PDC Challenge Tour 2020

[oche balboa]

Painter has said that Challenge Tour isnt for him

[greatkingrat]

The number of entries at Q School was up by about 30% on last year. Last year there were about 270 players for the first challenge tour weekend, so if there is a similar increase that would be about 350 players this year.

[MancheStar]

Just read an interview with Scott mitchell where he said if he didnt get a tour card he would carry on with the BDO. So doubt he'll be playing the challenge tour this weekend. Think he must have meant the WDF

[oche balboa]

He said on twitter he is going to the challenge tourc

[ssjsa]

He said on twitter he is going to the challenge tourc

[Rout]

Just read an interview with Scott mitchell where he said if he didnt get a tour card he would carry on with the BDO. So doubt he'll be playing the challenge tour this weekend. Think he must have meant the WDF

Cant he do both?

[MancheStar]

Yeah he could do but he said I'm an interview if he didnt get a tour card he'd just carry on with the BDO. Sounded like he wasn't gonna enter any challenge tour events. Although just saw he has said on twitter he would be doing the challenge tour.

[el_ringo]

Yeah he could do but he said I'm an interview if he didnt get a tour card he'd just carry on with the BDO. Sounded like he wasn't gonna enter any challenge tour events. Although just saw he has said on twitter he would be doing the challenge tour.

To be fair you have to be crazy to do the BDO events and not the challenge tour ones if you can given that the level of prize funds of challenge tour double header far exceed anything you get for spending a weekend in a caravan at some holiday camp

[Bag Carrier]

Be interesting how many of the ladies attend Challege Tour.

Not a cheap weekend for them trying to play if they dont have sponsors and some also clash with WDF/BDO events which they will still need to play.

[el_ringo]

Be interesting how many of the ladies attend Challege Tour.

Not a cheap weekend for them trying to play if they dont have sponsors and some also clash with WDF/BDO events which they will still need to play.

How does it work out costs wise to say a weekend on the Isle Of Man ?
Surely it must be more expensive to go there or Europe for a jollyup weekend than to Wigan ?

[1205]

Be interesting how many of the ladies attend Challege Tour.

Not a cheap weekend for them trying to play if they dont have sponsors and some also clash with WDF/BDO events which they will still need to play.

How does it work out costs wise to say a weekend on the Isle Of Man ?
Surely it must be more expensive to go there or Europe for a jollyup weekend than to Wigan ?

Yes, but the top ladies are likely to earn much more at the IoM.
Ashton earned 600 quid from 4 weekends on the 2019 Challenge Tour. (Skipped the 2nd weekend because of a clash). Easy for her on the Challenge Tour because she could commute a short distance from Bolton each day, but others aren't so "lucky", nor as good.

[meetthefeebles]

Players only want 1 event per day and not 2.

Aye but potentially changing it at a few days notice? Not on. People may do the tour on the expectations its only 6 weekends so only 6 weekends worth of hotel and travel needed. Doubling the number of weekends doubles the cost for that bit.

'If this happened in the BDO...' etc

[meetthefeebles]

Just read an interview with Scott mitchell where he said if he didnt get a tour card he would carry on with the BDO. So doubt he'll be playing the challenge tour this weekend. Think he must have meant the WDF

Aye. The problem with that otherwise sound plan is that the BDO will soon be absolutely defunct.

[Mensur Suljovic Fan]

Be interesting how many of the ladies attend Challege Tour.

Not a cheap weekend for them trying to play if they dont have sponsors and some also clash with WDF/BDO events which they will still need to play.

Sherrock probably, she can afford to do it, and might do better on the CT rather than Q-School with slightly less pressure on

[Tommy Thompson]

I think we are all second-guessing what will happen to the BDO, is it going to continue, can they actually run and finance the three TV events or the extra ones they are now saying they have in the pipeline, and seriously, after the World Masters and World Pro is anyone going to believe them. However, the WDF has confirmed that they will be running two TV major events this year, that is why England have decided to come on board with them. There is a vibrant system out there for any players below 128 Tour cardholders, with good prize money and affordable entry fees, so the Likes of the Dutch, and in the UK the England, Scottish, Welsh Open, Isle of Man all with around £30,000 prize money, giving players opportunities at the events of winning other events, like pairs and Mixed events. So it is not all doom and gloom, we are moving our events forward and improving our playing conditions at these events.

I can see the PDC have a problem with the potential attendance at Challenge tour if the entries exceed what is manageable, it is ok saying double the dates available, but that doubles the costs of hiring venue, paying staff moving equipment on what for the PDC is really not a priority. Far be it for me to interfere, but I think they were aware what was going to happen to the entry at QS this year, and for me, I would have had a cut off of say the top 256, at QS who didn't win a Tour Card, being able to compete in the Challange tour, still have the UK Open to everyone who took part in QS and the other bits and bobs, this would have capped their financial involvement. Just my opinion. Well done to all who won a card.

[Ginge]

Quite sure they used to say the Grand Slam Qualifier was 256 max and then entries closed, why not just do the same here?

[el_ringo]

I think we are all second-guessing what will happen to the BDO, is it going to continue, can they actually run and finance the three TV events or the extra ones they are now saying they have in the pipeline, and seriously, after the World Masters and World Pro is anyone going to believe them. However, the WDF has confirmed that they will be running two TV major events this year, that is why England have decided to come on board with them. There is a vibrant system out there for any players below 128 Tour cardholders, with good prize money and affordable entry fees, so the Likes of the Dutch, and in the UK the England, Scottish, Welsh Open, Isle of Man all with around £30,000 prize money, giving players opportunities at the events of winning other events, like pairs and Mixed events. So it is not all doom and gloom, we are moving our events forward and improving our playing conditions at these events.

I can see the PDC have a problem with the potential attendance at Challenge tour if the entries exceed what is manageable, it is ok saying double the dates available, but that doubles the costs of hiring venue, paying staff moving equipment on what for the PDC is really not a priority. Far be it for me to interfere, but I think they were aware what was going to happen to the entry at QS this year, and for me, I would have had a cut off of say the top 256, at QS who didn't win a Tour Card, being able to compete in the Challange tour, still have the UK Open to everyone who took part in QS and the other bits and bobs, this would have capped their financial involvement. Just my opinion. Well done to all who won a card.

We might be missing something with the challenge tour it may be a nice little unexpected earner for the PDC on the side. 512 people at £100 a time playing for a 10k prize pot over 5 weekends do the math on it. It actually gives a revenue stream of over a million pounds and only pays out £200 000 in total. It can't be costing that much to run the events or hire the venues.

Incidentally Tommy do we now take it that the EDO and yourself have with drawn your endorsement of the Jacklins ? Is it not time for an official statement on this matter if this is now the case ?

[1205]

I can see the PDC have a problem with the potential attendance at Challenge tour if the entries exceed what is manageable, it is ok saying double the dates available, but that doubles the costs of hiring venue, paying staff moving equipment on what for the PDC is really not a priority. Far be it for me to interfere, but I think they were aware what was going to happen to the entry at QS this year, and for me, I would have had a cut off of say the top 256, at QS who didn't win a Tour Card, being able to compete in the Challange tour, still have the UK Open to everyone who took part in QS and the other bits and bobs, this would have capped their financial involvement. Just my opinion. Well done to all who won a card.

The Challenge Tour offers opportunities to play in the Pro Tour, which is a big draw for better players.
It has also given a route to European Tour Member Qualifiers, from which Richie Edhouse benefited greatly in 2019.
The European Tour benefits might be changing, as this year Associate Member Qualifiers will be open to anyone who played Q School, not just those who played at the EU Q School.

[MancheStar]

I can see the PDC have a problem with the potential attendance at Challenge tour if the entries exceed what is manageable, it is ok saying double the dates available, but that doubles the costs of hiring venue, paying staff moving equipment on what for the PDC is really not a priority. Far be it for me to interfere, but I think they were aware what was going to happen to the entry at QS this year, and for me, I would have had a cut off of say the top 256, at QS who didn't win a Tour Card, being able to compete in the Challange tour, still have the UK Open to everyone who took part in QS and the other bits and bobs, this would have capped their financial involvement. Just my opinion. Well done to all who won a card.

The Challenge Tour offers opportunities to play in the Pro Tour, which is a big draw for better players.
It has also given a route to European Tour Member Qualifiers, from which Richie Edhouse benefited greatly in 2019.
The European Tour benefits might be changing, as this year Associate Member Qualifiers will be open to anyone who played Q School, not just those who played at the EU Q School.

Don't get the need for a seperate associate qualifier for the associate members it dilutes the field if you ask me. I get the host nation qualifier etc but not the associate qualifier.

[1205]

I can see the PDC have a problem with the potential attendance at Challenge tour if the entries exceed what is manageable, it is ok saying double the dates available, but that doubles the costs of hiring venue, paying staff moving equipment on what for the PDC is really not a priority. Far be it for me to interfere, but I think they were aware what was going to happen to the entry at QS this year, and for me, I would have had a cut off of say the top 256, at QS who didn't win a Tour Card, being able to compete in the Challange tour, still have the UK Open to everyone who took part in QS and the other bits and bobs, this would have capped their financial involvement. Just my opinion. Well done to all who won a card.

The Challenge Tour offers opportunities to play in the Pro Tour, which is a big draw for better players.
It has also given a route to European Tour Member Qualifiers, from which Richie Edhouse benefited greatly in 2019.
The European Tour benefits might be changing, as this year Associate Member Qualifiers will be open to anyone who played Q School, not just those who played at the EU Q School.

Don't get the need for a seperate associate qualifier for the associate members it dilutes the field if you ask me. I get the host nation qualifier etc but not the associate qualifier.

It's PDC investing in the future. It offers another chance for the best of the rest to play next-level darts and, if successful, gain stage experience. It also encourages players to enter Q School.

It was SW Europe, because there's no PDC SW Europe regional tour, but I think they've tried to simplify and improve outcomes, with a combined Tour Card qualifier and opening up the Associate spots to everybody.