Improvements to the PDC tour

[Dannyboy]

This topic has probably been done to death, but what changes would you make to the PDC tour if any? I'm sure the PDC board themselves would admit that they don't get everything right and is a case of continuous improvement.

Entry Fees
Reducing all entry fees to £50 per ProTour event, for both tour card holders and associates. Now, I was toying with the idea whether to eliminate entry fees altogether as all floor events are loss making anyway, but entry fees raise over £500,000 per year (excluding membership fees), which would put some what of a squeeze on the organisation financially as well as the gap needing to be plugged with decreases elswhere. Reduction of Challenge Tour entry fees to £25 per event.

Hospitality
For players that is, at all major TV events and the European Tour (for those travelling from the UK). Players shouldn't need to have the financial pressures of paying for flights and hotel rooms and a specific fund should be set aside to fund this, as well as having a sponsorship arrangement with Holiday Inn, for example in order to get preferential rates. For TV events, should be up to 2 nights prior to your first match and 1 night after your last. Having settled arrival times could help with marketing the event prior to the start of play.

UK Open
No need to have the 6 qualifiers, as it increases the risk of more "marketable" players not making it to the final stages if they have a mare. And then you have an issue of big players being knocked out early. Send all tour card holders straight to the venue and allow all associates to play in 8-16 qualifying events.

Less Floor Events
Hear me out on this one. The purpose of the PDC was to get darts back on telly. And they've done that. The floor events act as essential match practice and offer playing opportunities for everyone. They've done their job, so perhaps a small reduction to 16 floor events and no UK open qualifiers would suffice. Prize money will increase for the 16 remaining events. Currently there are 26, excluding the European Tour events.

Qualifying Competitions
Tour card holders get a qualifying competition for 4 places (32 field) in the TV event, after the final tournament after the deadline. £100 to enter.

Wildcard Rounds
Similar to what you have at the World Championship (rename the Prelim Round), but 4 places set aside for local/regional players in all TV events outside the UK.

Prize Money
Don't think prize money needs to grow that much at the top end, but an emphasis on increasing prize money for the "midfield" needs to be addressed somewhat. Not that I want to reward mediocrity and players should (and are) rewarded for progressing in tournaments. This would enable more players to get a decent living from the game, as well as taking advantage of reduced costs mentioned above.

Alcohol Ban
For all players during tournament play, between matches and at breaks.

[Rudy]

Better and healthier food supplies for the players, so not just the usual junk food that creates diabetes type 2 on an epidemic scale.

[trotter]

This topic has probably been done to death, but what changes would you make to the PDC tour if any? I'm sure the PDC board themselves would admit that they don't get everything right and is a case of continuous improvement.

Entry Fees
Reducing all entry fees to £50 per ProTour event, for both tour card holders and associates. Now, I was toying with the idea whether to eliminate entry fees altogether as all floor events are loss making anyway, but entry fees raise over £500,000 per year (excluding membership fees), which would put some what of a squeeze on the organisation financially as well as the gap needing to be plugged with decreases elswhere. Reduction of Challenge Tour entry fees to £25 per event.

Hospitality
For players that is, at all major TV events and the European Tour (for those travelling from the UK). Players shouldn't need to have the financial pressures of paying for flights and hotel rooms and a specific fund should be set aside to fund this, as well as having a sponsorship arrangement with Holiday Inn, for example in order to get preferential rates. For TV events, should be up to 2 nights prior to your first match and 1 night after your last. Having settled arrival times could help with marketing the event prior to the start of play.

UK Open
No need to have the 6 qualifiers, as it increases the risk of more "marketable" players not making it to the final stages if they have a mare. And then you have an issue of big players being knocked out early. Send all tour card holders straight to the venue and allow all associates to play in 8-16 qualifying events.

Less Floor Events
Hear me out on this one. The purpose of the PDC was to get darts back on telly. And they've done that. The floor events act as essential match practice and offer playing opportunities for everyone. They've done their job, so perhaps a small reduction to 16 floor events and no UK open qualifiers would suffice. Prize money will increase for the 16 remaining events. Currently there are 26, excluding the European Tour events.

Qualifying Competitions
Tour card holders get a qualifying competition for 4 places (32 field) in the TV event, after the final tournament after the deadline. £100 to enter.

Wildcard Rounds
Similar to what you have at the World Championship (rename the Prelim Round), but 4 places set aside for local/regional players in all TV events outside the UK.

Prize Money
Don't think prize money needs to grow that much at the top end, but an emphasis on increasing prize money for the "midfield" needs to be addressed somewhat. Not that I want to reward mediocrity and players should (and are) rewarded for progressing in tournaments. This would enable more players to get a decent living from the game, as well as taking advantage of reduced costs mentioned above.

Alcohol Ban
For all players during tournament play, between matches and at breaks.

I think I would disagree on every point made here

[trotter]

Better and healthier food supplies for the players, so not just the usual junk food that creates diabetes type 2 on an epidemic scale.

.......and players would still eat and drink what they want...if they want healthier options then they are there..nobody puts a gun to their head and makes them eat or drink anything.

[daveshep1508]

Trying to fix something that is not broken...........

[ChrisW]

Better and healthier food supplies for the players, so not just the usual junk food that creates diabetes type 2 on an epidemic scale.

.......and players would still eat and drink what they want...if they want healthier options then they are there..nobody puts a gun to their head and makes them eat or drink anything.

Absolutely, been to PDC tournaments in Europe and you see the players who refuse the options offered and go to the hotels restaurant for the healthier option. On their own bill.

[showtime69]

if it aint broke dont fix it

[Dannyboy]

I think I would disagree on every point made here

Would you care to expand on that? You wouldn't want lower costs for players and a healthier sport?

[The Jolly Man]

This topic has probably been done to death, but what changes would you make to the PDC tour if any? I'm sure the PDC board themselves would admit that they don't get everything right and is a case of continuous improvement.

Entry Fees
Reducing all entry fees to £50 per ProTour event, for both tour card holders and associates. Now, I was toying with the idea whether to eliminate entry fees altogether as all floor events are loss making anyway, but entry fees raise over £500,000 per year (excluding membership fees), which would put some what of a squeeze on the organisation financially as well as the gap needing to be plugged with decreases elswhere. Reduction of Challenge Tour entry fees to £25 per event. To do that all other entry fees would have to be cut for all other tours

Hospitality
For players that is, at all major TV events and the European Tour (for those travelling from the UK). Players shouldn't need to have the financial pressures of paying for flights and hotel rooms and a specific fund should be set aside to fund this, as well as having a sponsorship arrangement with Holiday Inn, for example in order to get preferential rates. For TV events, should be up to 2 nights prior to your first match and 1 night after your last. Having settled arrival times could help with marketing the event prior to the start of play.Most players at TV events will probably have sponsors who can cover cost, and at the very least prize money that will cover the stay and prep for any player. On the tour the PDPA already have deals with atleast one if not two hotel groups to get favourable deals

UK Open
No need to have the 6 qualifiers, as it increases the risk of more "marketable" players not making it to the final stages if they have a mare. And then you have an issue of big players being knocked out early. Send all tour card holders straight to the venue and allow all associates to play in 8-16 qualifying events.Can see the point but its £300,000 for players to play for, you can change how its distributed but I like how the players have to work to get in, if you take 128 tour card holders how many associate and amatuer qualifiers do you take?

Less Floor Events
Hear me out on this one. The purpose of the PDC was to get darts back on telly. And they've done that. The floor events act as essential match practice and offer playing opportunities for everyone. They've done their job, so perhaps a small reduction to 16 floor events and no UK open qualifiers would suffice. Prize money will increase for the 16 remaining events. Currently there are 26, excluding the European Tour events. The floor events will remain the bread and butter of the tour for years, where players learn the trade before hitting tv

Qualifying Competitions
Tour card holders get a qualifying competition for 4 places (32 field) in the TV event, after the final tournament after the deadline. £100 to enter.Why give four easy spots out to players when the current system is incredibly fair. Id go as far as saying do the PDPA need two spots to the Worlds??

Wildcard Rounds
Similar to what you have at the World Championship (rename the Prelim Round), but 4 places set aside for local/regional players in all TV events outside the UK.The Euro champs get 8 european places, you want to add 4 prelim spots to that?? there arent any other ranking TV tournaments outside the UK.

Prize Money
Don't think prize money needs to grow that much at the top end, but an emphasis on increasing prize money for the "midfield" needs to be addressed somewhat. Not that I want to reward mediocrity and players should (and are) rewarded for progressing in tournaments. This would enable more players to get a decent living from the game, as well as taking advantage of reduced costs mentioned above.A lot of players do well out of the tour these days. Im sure prize money will increase and with the expansion of the World Series more opportunities on the pro tour for players to pick up more.

Alcohol Ban
For all players during tournament play, between matches and at breaks.
Interesting one, think a few players do drink to calm nerves. Maybe a ban could be brought in. No other sport would allow it and that stigma im sure still features in media circles.

[Zeyes]

Well, I'm on record as thinking that the main tour entry fees ought to drop. Don't agree that this means the other tours' fees need to go down as well, though - IMHO the most meritocratic system would be if the two alternatives for players were, "have a tour card and pay £50 to play for £50,000 on the Pro Tour" and "don't have a tour card and pay £50 to play for £10,000 on the Challenge Tour". The entry fees are divorced from the payouts these days anyway, no reason to have both adhere to the same "staggered" setup.

[Lurgan]

there should be no entry fee for pro tour for card holders, either give the tour card some value or scrub it

[Krispy]

>> Alcohol Ban

I think that would be be the biggest shake up in darts going. I'd predict some big changes in who you see do well on TV if that was the case.

[Bag Carrier]

>> Alcohol Ban

I think that would be be the biggest shake up in darts going. I'd predict some big changes in who you see do well on TV if that was the case.

Would never happen.

How many top players actually play without a drink these days.

Pipe and Klaasen maybe

[Lurgan]

>> Alcohol Ban

I think that would be be the biggest shake up in darts going. I'd predict some big changes in who you see do well on TV if that was the case.

its a fucking pub game not an Olympic endurance sport

[Rudy]

If the PDC really really wants darts to be considered and taken seriously as a top sport, there's no longer room for alcohol. So far for the principle. In reality that would mean a lot of pro's would underachieve due to the nerve factor and their status and that of the PDC would incur some serious damage. Therefore, let's continue to hunt down those who try a line of coke or use beta blockers, not to compare these 2 in any way BTW.

[dudley1975]

>> Alcohol Ban

I think that would be be the biggest shake up in darts going. I'd predict some big changes in who you see do well on TV if that was the case.

Would never happen.

How many top players actually play without a drink these days.

Pipe and Klaasen maybe

Pipe drinks

[trotter]

I cannot see the arguments for banning drinking....people say it will allow darts to be taken more seriously...I don't see that....people who love darts will still love darts and regardless of alcohol darts will always have that pub image in the eyes of a lot of fans and the media and banning alcohol isn't going to alter that.
Darts isn't doing too bad at the moment with alcohol so not having it on stage is fine, there is no need to go any further than that to be honest., although it would be nice to see the youths coming through and not having to feel that they NEED alcohol to actually play

[Rudy]

As to the food matter, I can only judge for the Dutch venues, but there's no healthy food there. The fact they have to eat healthy stuff in their hotel room only proves my point I guess.

[trotter]

As to the food matter, I can only judge for the Dutch venues, but there's no healthy food there. The fact they have to eat healthy stuff in their hotel room only proves my point I guess.

But how many would choose the healthy option even if it was on ?.....not many I would say...

[el_ringo]

It's ridiculous to suggest any form of alcohol ban as you would immediately effectively remove all alcohol companies from being Sponsors in any form. Darts is a pub game that is ingrained with pub culture all other sports which have any alcohol ban have no such historical links to pubs and beer.

And really healthy food ?

As if anyone who downs 4 or 5 pints every time before chucking a tungsten is going to be interested in a healthy food option.

Really get a grip you can't rip the heart and soul out of the sport and realistically think its in anyway an improvement or great idea.