The PDC European Championship is back for its 18th edition this year – and the buzz around it is fizzing like a freshly opened champagne bottle. More than 33,000 tickets have already been snapped up for Dortmund’s legendary Westfalenhalle, smashing records and guaranteeing one hell of a party. Darts in Germany isn’t just big anymore – it’s booming.
But let’s rewind. Because this glittering, beer-soaked spectacle wasn’t always the juggernaut it is today. Once upon a time – back in 2008 – the first PDC European Championship took place in Frankfurt’s Südbahnhof, and to say it wasn’t packed would be putting it politely.
Werner von Moltke, head of PDC Europe and part-time miracle worker, recently recalled those early days on Sport1’s Madhouse. And with a twinkle in his eye, he painted quite the picture.
“The tournament was broadcast live in England on ITV4 at the time – and we had just 20 spectators in the hall,” he said. “We’d booked a room for 250 people, but it was almost empty. Then we went out and asked another 20 people if they wanted to sit in for four hours of free beer. So there were about 40 spectators – and 20 were only there for the free beer.”
Free beer to attract Germans? What a shock. Next you’ll be telling us the English like a curry. Still, those 40 pioneers – half dart fans, half opportunists – got to witness the birth of something that would one day fill arenas. ITV’s cameras cleverly stayed focused on the few occupied tables, and the illusion was complete. The world saw a crowd. The reality was a handful of blokes wondering when the next pint was arriving.
“It’s hard to imagine today,” von Moltke laughed. “But that’s how we started. We knew we were starting small – and I have fond memories of it.”
Fast-forward 18 years and those “small rolls” von Moltke mentioned have turned into a fully baked loaf the size of Germany itself. Darts has exploded into a national obsession – a strange yet beautiful hybrid of carnival, competition and chaos.
The very next year saw, perhaps, the greatest single event performance ever. Phil Taylor took the crown again but averaged 111.54 over the entire competition and the event never looked back!
The European Championship now draws tens of thousands, while Premier League nights, the World Cup of Darts and European Tour events sell out faster than a pint at last orders.
Just last weekend in Hildesheim, 14,000 fans packed the venue for the European Tour – with every single ticket gone by Friday night. Not bad for a sport that once relied on bribing its audience with booze.
From that tiny room in Frankfurt’s Südbahnhof to a packed Westfalenhalle, the story of the PDC European Championship mirrors the rise of darts itself in Germany – proof that great things can grow from humble beginnings.
Sometimes, all it takes is a few arrows, a bit of vision… and twenty people motivated by free beer. Although, that method tends to work a treat with a darts audience.
—–ENDS—–
PDC Europe
