As another Premier League season draws to a close, PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter believes the competition has once again delivered on expectations, producing sold-out arenas, memorable moments and plenty of debate throughout its 16-week run.
Speaking to Oche180 ahead of Finals Night at London’s O2 Arena, Porter reflected on a campaign which saw the Premier League visit Antwerp for the first time and generate a host of talking points both on and off the oche.
“I think it’s reached the expectation levels that we set for it,” he explained. “We’ve had sold-out arenas every week, we went to Antwerp for the first time which was very exciting, there have been plenty of talking points and a lot of drama throughout.”
One topic that continues to divide opinion is the current Premier League format. While many supporters enjoy the nightly knockout structure and the drama of crowning a winner every week, others believe the repeated match-ups between the same players can lessen some of the intrigue.
Porter understands both perspectives.
“People see the tournament through different eyes,” he said.”If you go to an arena, you want to see a winner on the night. You want drama right until the very last dart. If you’re watching every week on television, some people want to see the best players competing against each other all the time, while others feel the repetition can perhaps reduce some of the drama.”
Despite the ongoing discussion, Porter believes the debate itself is a sign of the tournament’s importance.
“You’re never going to please everybody with every decision you make,” Porter admitted. “But the fact people are talking about it shows they care, and we can’t ask for much more than that.”
However, he also suggested the current format may be approaching the latter stages of its lifespan:
“We’ve had it for four years now,” he added. “We certainly wouldn’t expect to have it for eight. So if you’re talking about the life cycle of the format, then yes, it’s probably moved beyond the ascending stage.”
The annual selection of the Premier League line-up also remains a major talking point. Porter revealed there is no fixed formula behind the process, with multiple factors taken into account when choosing the eight competitors.
“Playing performance is obviously important,” Porter explained. “But so is how you’ve performed in the biggest events, what your ranking is, your stage presence, how you conduct yourself and a whole range of other considerations.”
Maintaining freshness is equally important:
“You wouldn’t want to turn up at the same venues every year and watch exactly the same players repeating what happened twelve months earlier. The event has to evolve.”
Porter also believes uncertainty surrounding selection adds to the wider narrative.
“We want players to have that jeopardy of not knowing whether they’re in or not,” he explained.”It becomes a major talking point throughout the year.”Away from the Premier League itself, Porter highlighted the remarkable transformation of professional darts over the past two decades.
“We’ve been working with players on the facilities they have available because every venue is different, It’s really been a process of communication and evolution.
“The contrast with previous generations is stark.You now have players who have never played in a pub. That’s completely different to where the sport was.”
While the game remains proud of its roots, Porter believes darts has evolved into a fully-fledged professional sport:
“The sport still has its heritage and that’s important. But it’s a professional sport now, played in front of sold-out arenas like you’ll see here.” Porter reflected.
More from Matthew Porter soon.
Images: PDC
