The PDC will stage its first televised women’s tournament this summer following the introduction of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay on Sunday July 24 in Blackpool.
The eight-player tournament will be held in one afternoon session at the Winter Gardens, with a £25,000 prize fund on offer as well as a spot in the 2022 Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts. The field will be comprised of the top eight players from the 2022 PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit following the 12 events being staged in the first half of the year across three double-header weekends.
The Betfred Women’s World Matchplay will be the first fully-televised Women’s event staged by the PDC, continuing the commitment to the growth of the sport show in recent years with an event broadcast on Sky Sports.
The event takes the PDC’s commitment to women’s darts to £125,000 in prize money this year, with entries now open for the PDC Women’s Series.
“We’re delighted to be able to add the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay to our calendar,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.
“We have expanded our commitment to women’s darts in recent years following the introduction of the PDC Women’s Series, and we feel that the time is right to give these players a televised tournament.
“The Winter Gardens in Blackpool is an iconic venue which hosts top-class darts, and it’s fitting that eight top women will now get to grace the stage in July to compete in the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay, live on Sky Sports.
“This event will take our total prize fund for women’s events to £125,000 this year as we continue to create opportunities at a professional level for players across our developmental tours.”
Qualification for the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay will be based on prize money across the year’s opening 12 PDC Women’s Series events.
The opening PDC Women’s Series weekend will be staged on March 12-13 in Barnsley, with two events held per day.
The second weekend will be held on April 30-May 1 in Wigan, with the decisive third weekend taking place on June 25-26 in Barnsley.
A further two PDC Women’s Series weekends will be held on August 27-28 in Niedernhausen and on October 29-30 in Wigan, with two events taking place per day across each two-day weekend.
Entry to PDC Women’s Series events costs £25 per event for players aged 16 and above, and can be made through the PDC Entry System at www.pdcplayers.com from 1200 GMT on Wednesday February 2.
New players must Register their details at www.pdcplayers.com. Following your registration, you will receive an email to confirm that you are available to enter tournaments, and at this stage you can login to make your entry to the relevant events. This verification may take up to 48 hours.
The 2021 PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit was won by Fallon Sherrock, who qualified alongside Lisa Ashton to compete in both the Grand Slam and World Darts Championship.
Ashton had also competed on the PDC ProTour in 2021/22 as a Tour Card Holder, while Sherrock reached the Nordic Darts Masters final last year and both players achieved ton-plus averages in televised games.
Mikuru Suzuki also secured a Women’s Series event win last year, and both Deta Hedman and Anastasia Dobromyslova have joined Suzuki, Sherrock and Ashton in competing at the World Darts Championship in recent years.
PDC Women’s Series
Events 1-4 – March 12-13, Barnsley Matrodome
Events 5-8 – April 30-May 1, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Events 9-12 – June 25-26, Barnsley Metrodome
Betfred Women’s World Matchplay – July 24, Winter Gardens, Blackpool
Events 13-16 – August 27-28, H+ Hotel Niedernhausen
Events 17-20 – October 29-30, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Betfred Women’s World Matchplay
Sunday July 24 (1300 BST)
Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals & Final
Prize Fund
Winner £10,000 + place in 2022 Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts
Runner-Up £5,000
Semi-Finalists £2,500 each
Quarter-Finalists £1,250 each
Total £25,000
—-ENDS—–
Lead Images: Lawrence Lustig /PDC
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