In this blog post we would like to give you an insight into PDC Europe – an offshoot of the large PDC. Not every darts fan realizes that there is a difference here. For example, tournament series with their own rankings are only held by PDC Europe, which has hardly anything to do with the main organization, the PDC. We would therefore like to explain the difference between the two “companies” and explain which tournaments belong to PDC Europe and how you can qualify if necessary.
What exactly is PDC Europe?
PDC Europe was founded in 2006, then under the name German Darts Corporation. As the name suggests, back then it was mainly about promoting darts in Germany. By renaming it to PDC Europe, the focus was placed on the entire European area.
The aim of PDC Europe was to market major tournaments of the PDC, the most lucrative darts association in the world, and thus increase the prize money for players. Darts should therefore be professionalized and also commercialized. The numbers also show that this success story has been a success.
The founder of PDC Europe was Werner von Moltke. To this day, he ensures that the sport of darts increases in popularity throughout Europe. The number of spectators in the halls has grown significantly, making darts an extremely lucrative business.
Today, PDC Europe holds all broadcast rights for Germany, Austria and Switzerland and organizes the so-called PDC European Tour, where there is a lot of prize money for the professional players to earn.
The difference between PDC and PDC Europe
But what exactly is the difference between the PDC and PDC Europe? While the PDC focuses mainly on the core area, namely Great Britain, the PDC Europe takes care of the marketing of darts in Europe, namely Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The offshoot, PDC Europe, organizes its own tournament series in these countries and also maintains its own Order of Merit for these tournament series. Ultimately it's about establishing darts across Europe.
The PDC European Tour – locations and much more
The PDC Europe organizes a large tournament series, which is of great importance in the calendar year for organizers and professional players - the so-called PDC European Tour. In 2020 there will be additional venues beyond Germany, Austria and Switzerland to accelerate the expansion of darts. In total, the events will be held in seven countries. In addition to Germany and Austria, the tournaments take place in Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Gibraltar and the Czech Republic. A total of 13 tournaments make up the so-called PDC European Tour.
The exact locations are Hasselt in Belgium, Graz in Austria, Budapest in Hungary, Riesa, Sindelfingen, Trier, Hildesheim, Jena, Munich and Leverkusen in Germany, Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, Gibraltar and Prague in the Czech Republic.
A total of 140,000 British pounds will be paid out per tournament on the PDC Europe Tour. The winner receives 25,000 of them alone. The large number of tournaments and opportunities to win prize money ultimately form the Order of Merit of the PDC Europe Tour. Darts in Europe are made socially acceptable. The spectators pay the ticket prices in order to be able to experience the stars of darts live in Europe. This is ultimately how the tour and the prize money are financed.
Qualification for the European Tour
The qualification system for the European Tour Darts tournaments has changed slightly again in 2020 and has been modified once again. In order to be able to play the PDC Europe tournament series, the following requirements are required:
- The top 16 players in the PDC Pro Tour Order of Merit (a ranking of all Pro Tour and European Tour tournaments) qualify.
- 24 players can also qualify with a tour card. To do this, players must qualify through a European Tour qualifying tournament
- The country's two best players from the Pro Tour Order of Merit are also automatically qualified for a tournament in their country
- There are also special qualification procedures. For each event, one participant from Scandinavia, one player from Eastern Europe and two other starting places will be included in the so-called Associate Qualifier via its own qualifying tournaments (all players who took part in the two Q-Schools 2020 and did not obtain a Tour Card can take part in the Associate Member Qualifier participate, provided the event does not take place in their own country).
- Last but not least, one day before the main tournament there will be a qualification tournament for players from the country in which it will be held (Host Nation Qualifier). This is intended to ensure that hobby players also have the opportunity to qualify for such a tournament. A total of two more players from the host country have the chance to qualify
Impact on the European Darts Championship
The results on the European Tour also have a big impact, because the top 32 players in the European Tour rankings automatically qualify for the European Dart Championship. This is also a major tournament, so one of the really big events in the darts calendar.
How do I get the PDC European Tour tickets?
You can purchase tickets for the respective events of the PDC European Tour on the PDC Europe homepage. This gives you the opportunity to experience the big dart stars and the Darts European Tour live for yourself. As is well known, there is currently no broadcast on television. However, you still have the opportunity to follow the tournament series online. All you have to do is visit the Laola1.tv homepage to watch the tournaments across Europe via stream.
Impact on PDC Europe due to the Corona virus
However, there are currently big question marks behind the scheduled execution of the European Tour in 2020. Due to the coronavirus, some tournaments in the series have had to and have already been postponed and canceled. It is still unclear when this series will end this year and when the European Darts Championship will be held afterwards. The coronavirus will certainly keep the darts world in suspense for some time to come. We are excited to see how things develop here and do not assume that, for example, ghost tournaments will take place without spectators. The reason behind it is simple, because ultimately the PDC Europe prize money is financed primarily through ticket sales and sales on the event days on site.
With this in mind: stay healthy and hopefully see you soon at a PDC European Tour event in Germany. Game On!
Ready to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of darts? Explore the secrets, tactics and compelling stories behind this exciting sport. Click in now and become a dart enthusiast!
- The PDC Q-School is the first step towards a darts career. No talented player can avoid taking part in the PDC Q-School.
- Find out more about the Darts Premier League . Get an overview of the game mode, schedule and participants of the PDC Premier League
