IN another absolute triumph for the PDC’s global model tickets for the inaugural Poland Darts Masters sold out on the first day of sale, with a bumper crowd set to welcome world class darts to a new territory.
Over 9,000 fans snapped up tickets for the World Series of Darts event, which will see the sport’s top stars head to Warsaw on July 7-8. In remarkable comments, PDC boss Matt Porter is left almost apologising for not using a venue with more than 9,000 seats for an inaugural event!
Reflecting on the incredible response since the new World Series event was announced, PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: “We are delighted to see so many Polish fans supporting this exciting new tournament.
“The ticket sales reflect the growing appetite for darts across Eastern Europe, which has produced a number of elite level talents in recent years and also seen a rise in broadcast partners for PDC Premier events.
“We understand the frustration of fans who were unable to secure a ticket for the event and would like the event to be hosted at a larger venue, but the iconic COS Torwar venue will provide a fantastic setting for our first step into the Polish market.
“The introduction of the Polish Darts Masters reflects our commitment to growing the sport across Europe, as further reflected by the proposed introduction of a European Tour event in Zurich in 2024 in addition to those introduced in Prague and Budapest in recent years.
“We have seen similar levels of interest in Belgium in the last 18 months, and we look forward to our second sold-out European Tour event in Wieze in May, reflecting huge viewing figures for our broadcast partner VTM in the country.
“We would also like to thank Viaplay, our broadcast partner in Poland, for working with us to expose the sport to a new audience and look forward to a successful Poland Darts Masters.”
The Poland Darts Masters will see eight of the PDC’s top players compete against eight East European representatives in a 16-player knockout tournament.
World Champion Michael Smith headlines the eight PDC representatives, alongside reigning World Series of Darts Finals winner Gerwyn Price and three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen.
They will be joined in the Polish capital by 2018 World Champion Rob Cross, world number six Luke Humphries and Premier League duo Dimitri Van den Bergh and Nathan Aspinall.
Former UK Open champion Danny Noppert will also feature, but world number two Peter Wright will not compete in Poland due to family commitments.
The PDC elite will take on eight of the leading stars within East Europe on July 7-8, which includes Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski – a winner of eight PDC ranking titles.
Ratajski has enjoyed an impressive start to 2023, and the former World Matchplay semi-finalist will compete on home soil in a PDC event for the first time alongside fellow countrymen Krzysztof Kciuk and Radek Szaganski.
Poland’s trio of Tour Card Holders will be joined by Croatia’s Boris Krcmar and Czech duo Karel Sedlacek and Adam Gawlas, who made his big-stage breakthrough earlier this month by reaching the UK Open semi-finals.
The remaining two spots will be allocated to the winners of qualifiers in Poland and Hungary.
The Polish Qualifier will come from an event for Polish players to be held on Saturday July 1 at Hotel 500 in Tarnowo Podgorne, during the weekend of the Polish Darts Organisation’s National Championship.
The Poland Darts Masters will be the fourth of six World Series of Darts events being staged around the world this year, with January’s double-header in Bahrain and Copenhagen being followed on June 2-3 by the US Darts Masters in New York.
August will then feature visits to Hamilton for the NZ Darts Masters and Wollongong for the NSW Darts Masters in another World Series double-header.
Following the conclusion of the six global events, Amsterdam’s AFAS Live will play host to the Jack’s World Series of Darts Finals from September 15-17, with the 24-player tournament taking place in the Dutch capital.
2023 Poland Darts Masters
July 7-8 – COS Torwar, Warsaw
PDC Representatives
Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen
Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross
Luke Humphries
Danny Noppert
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Nathan Aspinall
East Europe Representatives
Krzysztof Ratajski
Krzysztof Kciuk
Radek Szaganski
Boris Krcmar
Karel Sedlacek
Adam Gawlas
Hungarian Qualifier TBC
Polish Qualifier TBC
Friday, July 7 (1900 CEST)
First Round x8
Saturday, July 8 (1900 CEST)
Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals & Final
—–ENDS—–
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