PDC Chairman Eddie Hearn has announced that prize money on the PDC circuit will smash through the £15 million barrier in 2022 – with Players Championships to be worth £100,000 apiece next year and the Cazoo Premier League increasing to a £1 million prize fund.
As part of over £2 million of increased prize funds across the next two years, prize money for the 2022 World Matchplay will rise to £800,000 – including a huge £200,000 to the champion.
The World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals will also benefit from boosted prize funds in 2022, while £750,000 is to be pumped into the 30-event Players Championship series to increase prize money to £100,000 for each tournament.
In addition, further televised events and the PDC European Tour are set to be boosted from 2023 onwards as the sport’s expansion at professional level continues in the post-pandemic era.
“This is a massive investment in prize money of over £2 million in the next two years but one that’s appropriate as part of our continued global expansion,” said Hearn.
“Our proactive response to the pandemic last year helped to keep the sport running and professional players active, and as a reward for the stars who stuck with us through those tough times we’re delighted to bring in these increases.
“This reflects not only our resilience throughout the pandemic but the strength of our partnerships, and we’re hugely optimistic about the future.
“Having pushed beyond £15 million prize money for 2022, we’ve now set our sights on breaking past £20 million on the circuit in the next few years.
“All players will play a part in our growth as we move forward, and injecting £750,000 into Players Championship prize money alone in 2022 shows the importance of these tournaments now on the ProTour and is a huge incentive for all Tour Card Holders – especially those who come through Qualifying School each January with the dream of emulating Gerwyn Price.
“We’re also keen to continue rewarding the elite stars for the success they achieve in our biggest TV events, and it’s another milestone for us that the Premier League will have a £1 million prize fund next year.
“Allied to the increased prize money across our other Premier events from the second half of 2022 onwards, this is an extremely exciting time.
“We’re continuing to look at the addition of further global events, supporting our investment in affiliated tours around the world, Challenge and Development Tours and the Women’s Series to enhance the production line of players which will be showcased at the William Hill World Darts Championship in the coming weeks.”
The announcement means that of £15 million in prize money available to players during 2022, increased prize funds will include:
Premier League – £1 million (was £855,000 in 2021)
World Matchplay – £800,000 (was £700,000 in 2021)
World Grand Prix – £550,000 (was £450,000 in 2021)
Grand Slam of Darts – £650,000 (was £550,000 in 2021)
Players Championship Finals – £600,000 (was £500,000 in 2021)
Players Championship Events – £100,000 per event x 30 events (was £75,000 per event in 2021)
Women’s Series – expanding to 20x events worth £5,000 per event (was 12 events in 2021)
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