The Premier League will start a new season with eight darts players on Thursday, with Michael van Gerwen as the only Dutchman. Just like in previous years, everyone tries to reach the final day, where the best four darters compete for the win. The big difference is that there is now a winner every week, via a knockout system. The ideal opportunity for the darts player from Vlijmen to win again.
Between 2013 and 2019, Michael van Gerwen reached the final of the prestigious darts competition every year. In his first Premier League final, Van Gerwen won, only to walk off the podium four times in a row after losing two finals in a row. Mighty Mike failed to reach the finals for the past two years. Not entirely coincidentally, this fits in with Van Gerwen’s performance in general, which was a lot less than before.
New setup
However, the new Premier League format may give Van Gerwen confidence towards other important tournaments. The PDC, the organizing darts association, changed the format of the tournament more often. But never as rigorous as this year.
The Premier League of recent years could be compared to a simple football competition. Each round, each darter played one match. At the end – after a certain number of match days – the four darters with the most points played a semi-final and final for the tournament win.
Now there is a winner every round. Every week, the same eight darts players start playing a quarter-final. Two semi-finals and a final will follow later in the evening. Points can be earned for each match won, the winner can also credit his account with 12,000 euros in prize money. The four darters who now have the most points at the end of the regular competition with the new scoring system will eventually compete for the final win in the play-offs.
Every round there is therefore a chance of winning a (small) tournament. Victories that can give a big boost to self-confidence. Yet the best darts player in the Netherlands looks beyond the weekly moment. “Everyone can play well for a week, but in normal times you have to be good for seventeen weeks now,” said Van Gerwen in conversation with Sky Sports in the run-up to the first round.
Van Gerwen is looking forward to the new format, which suits him ‘one hundred percent’. At the bookmakers, Van Gerwen is again favorite for the win after Gerwyn Price, despite the fact that he hasn’t won a major tournament for a year. The former number one in the world is a little more careful himself. “In this tournament, anyone can beat anyone. There are only eight players. And I think they’re eight really good players.”
Viaplay Sport Netherlands
It will take some getting used to for fans of the Premier League, because the matches are no longer broadcast by RTL7. In the month of February, the PDC tournament can still be seen via the YouTube channel of Viaplay Sport Nederland. From March it will then disappear behind the decoder, because the streaming service can be viewed on tablet and TV from that moment on.
ALSO READ: Anne-Marie Fokkens will present darts, role for Arjan van der Giessen