A few decades ago, darts were widely laughed at in Germany. Many young players today see the opportunity to finance their living by throwing darts.
However, the market is highly competitive . Professionals in Germany often find it difficult to establish themselves due to a lack of sponsors. The top stars of the darts scene, on the other hand, are cashing in big.
The prize money at major tournaments has exploded in the last 10 years. Many people ask themselves, how much do darts professionals earn? In this article we give an insight into the fortunes of dart players.
The earnings of dart players - how dart players make money
Anyone who thinks that there is only one way for darts players to generate income is seriously mistaken. The dart players' fortune is often not generated through the regular prize money . It's more about additional income that shouldn't be neglected.
The dart player's earnings are ultimately made up of 5, 6 or maybe even 7 building blocks. Depending on their popularity, these individual pieces of cake are of different sizes. We'll look at what options there are for dart players to increase their wealth.
Earnings as a darts professional are often determined by the prize money. If you play well , you can afford a lot . However, if you play poorly as a professional, you can be happy if you can cover the costs with the dart player income.
The main part of earnings as a darts player comes from prize money from regular association tournaments . Some dart players also have high-paying advertising or sponsorship contracts , which can significantly increase their earnings as a dart professional.
Due to the ongoing darts boom, it even happens locally that national heroes of their sport are very strongly represented in their home country. This means you earn so much from advertising contracts that the pressure to be successful in darts is significantly reduced.
Because: like in many other jobs and professions, there is no fixed darts professional salary.
Dart professional earnings – other sources of income for dart players
In addition to prize money and advertising contracts, there are usually at least four other building blocks.
One of these 4 monetary building blocks for a higher dart professional salary are so-called invitation tournaments . The PDC darts association invites players to selected tournaments .
An example of this is the PDC World Series of Darts, in which the invited players from all over the world face each other on the dartboard. The prize money from these invitational tournaments does not appear in the Order of Merit , the money ranking in darts. A nice additional additional income .
Keyword Exhibitions . The next point. Dart professionals are in high demand in the scene right now. For example, hobby players would also like to play against the stars and can “ book ” them for a certain amount . Depending on his popularity and success, a player will of course cost more than a player who is less well known.
The penultimate way to increase your wealth as a darts professional is through events . For example, the Celebrity Darts World Cup on ProSieben. An event or event in which the player is paid by the broadcaster for his or her participation.
Similar to invitation tournaments, only not run by the association and therefore of course with a significantly lower status. These shows and events often serve more to market the players .
Speaking of marketing: Of course, the players also sell their own items - so they actively engage in merchandising . Especially for the top 20 players in the world, the share of merchandising income can be extreme. The general rule in the scene is: win a big tournament and your merchandising income will skyrocket.
The players' characters also come into play here. Of course, this makes it much easier for very special players like Peter Wright or Simon Whitlock to market themselves as players. Players like Glen Durran, on the other hand , find this much more difficult (successful, but relatively boring as a guy).
The net worth of the top stars – that’s how high the dart player net worth is
But how much do darts professionals actually earn? A look at the Order of Merit, in which all regular prize money is included, shows what the stars earn through their sporting achievements in relation to other players.
An overview of the top 32 of the Order of Merit (as of August 29, 2020), which are automatically seeded at a Darts World Cup .
Earnings as a darts professional are often determined by the prize money .
| position | Surname | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael van Gerwen | £1,535,250 |
| 2 | Peter Wright | £913,000 |
| 3 | Gerwyn Price | £809,000 |
| 4 | Michael Smith | £560,250 |
| 5 | Rob Cross | £545,750 |
| 6 | Nathan Aspinall | £486,000 |
| 7 | Daryl Gurney | £453,750 |
| 8th | James Wade | £425,000 |
| 9 | Gary Anderson | £390,750 |
| 10 | Dave Chisnall | £374,250 |
| 11 | Ian White | £357,500 |
| 12 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | £336,250 |
| 13 | Glen Durrant | £297,000 |
| 14 | Scale Suljovic | £278,250 |
| 15 | Krzysztof Ratajski | £274,750 |
| 16 | Adrian Lewis | £262,750 |
| 17 | Simon Whitlock | £253,750 |
| 18 | Johnny Clayton | £226,250 |
| 19 | Chris Dobey | £223,500 |
| 19 | Stephen Bunting | £223,500 |
| 21 | Joe Cullen | £222,000 |
| 22 | Danny Noppert | £205,500 |
| 23 | Jermaine Wattimena | £196,500 |
| 24 | Jeffrey De Zwaan | £192,750 |
| 25 | Steve Beaton | £191,000 |
| 26 | Ricky Evans | £190,750 |
| 27 | Mervyn King | £189,250 |
| 28 | Vincent van der Voort | £170,250 |
| 29 | Max Hopp | £167,750 |
| 30 | Keegan Brown | £159,750 |
| 31 | Brendan Dolan | £158,500 |
| 32 | Darren Webster | £149,500 |
Now let's take a look at the assets of three very special darts players. We are talking about the old master Phil Taylor , the current number one in the PDC Michael van Gerwen and the reigning world champion Peter Wright .
Phil Taylor Net Worth – the man who continues to cash in even in retirement
According to the wealth magazine, Phil Taylor's estimated fortune is around 10 million euros . Even in 2020, when Taylor no longer actively plays darts as a professional, his income is still at least 1.5 million euros .
Michael van Gerwen fortune – become a millionaire in no time
The assets of Michael van Gerwen, the current number one in the world , are also impressive. Even at the young age of just 31, van Gerwen's estimated wealth is around 8 million euros - and the trend is rising rapidly . Van Gerwen has already earned more than 9 million euros just by playing darts.
Similar to Taylor, his income in 2020 is estimated to be around 1.5 million euros . The difference: MvG plays as a professional while already retired. This once again illustrates the appeal of “The Power”, which he uses to increase his fortune .
Bird of paradise Peter Wright uses his brand for additional income
Finally, let's take a look at the net worth of Peter Wright, the reigning PDC world champion . Peter Wright's fortune is estimated at around 4.5 million euros .
He is one of the players who generates a lot of money outside of the prize money through merchandising, advertising contracts and events .
Remarkable: In 2020, with around 2 million euros, he is the player who earned the most money of all darts players this year.
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