One of the few good things to come out of the Covid-19 dominated 2020 season was the decision by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) to launch the Women’s Series.
The choice prompted much speculation and comment at the time as previously the PDC had mainly stuck to the open / mixed format, despite a previous attempt at a Women’s World Championship in 2011.
This time, although initially only 4 events, the PDC decided to move to a full ‘women’s tour’ very quickly and the Women’s Series is now one of three tier tours that aim to develop different areas of the game toward the standards of the mixed field PDC Pro Tour.
The Women’s Series quickly expanded to 20 events, played in five weekend blocks of four events per set. A new Major was also born as the Women’s World Matchplay was added to the PDC calendar.
Soon there were more than 64 paid entries and usually over 100. Following the successful pattern of other tours, weekends in Germany and Holland have since been added to those in the UK.
Big name dominance was always likely in the early years simply due to experience levels and only the exceptional previously being able to forge careers in game.
Fallon Sherrock whose groundbreaking efforts at the 2020 World Championship arguably spawned the PDC’s change of heart, and desire to develop the women’s game, and four time World Women’s Champions Lisa Ashton did indeed claim most of those early titles along with other icons such as Deta Hedman.
Perhaps the most poignant came in 2022 when 10 x Women’s World Champion Trina Gulliver claimed one of the new crowns and ensured that the two main eras of the female game will be always linked by her name.
Then came the generational talent that is Beau Greaves. The Doncaster teenager is the first female talent to have grown up with a full infrastructure of single sex and mixed sex development programs leading to opportunities across the spectrum of amateur and professional organisations.
Greaves won over 70 matches and 11 consecutive tournaments within the PDC structure. She turned down some opportunities to play in ‘Open’ major events that this form qualified her to play and instead retained her Women’s World title with a different organisation.
Sherrock, Suzuki and Greaves since taken up qualification spots at PDC’s The Grand Slam of Darts and World Championships.
Despite the big name dominance the years since have seen fifteen players, Finland’s Kirsi Viinikainen becoming the latest, claim at least one event and many more have reached finals and semi-finals.
The emotional reaction of Natalie Gilbert on becoming the different winner at the very end of 2023 was a perfect summary of another milestone.
It is possible that the greatest legacy of the Women’s Series, however, may be the amount of professional and financial opportunity that new and returning players have managed to earn and the knock on development of the Women’s game across Europe and beyond..
Women’s Series Event Winners
(New winners for each year)
2025
Kirsi Viinikainen
2024
Angela Kirkwood
Aileen de Graaf
Gemma Hayter
Noa-Lynn van Leuven
2023
Natalie Gilbert
Robyn Byrne
Rhian O’Sullivan
2022
Beau Greaves
Lorraine Winstanley
Trina Gulliver
2021
Mikuru Suzuki
2020
Fallon Sherrock
Deta Hedman
Lisa Ashton
—–ENDS—–
Images: Main: PDC
