PDC chief executive Matthew Porter has told ESPN a decision over the future home of the World Darts Championship could be expected before the start of this year’s tournament on Dec. 11.
Alexandra Palace has hosted the world championship since 2008 when it moved from the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex.
Since the move, the Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in north London has become darts’ cultural home and played host to some of the sport’s most famous moments including nine-darters, the “greatest leg of all time” and Luke Littler’s rise.
While the venue’s intimate feel is part of its charm, speculation over a move away from ‘Ally Pally’ has been a talking point for years due to its difficulties with satisfying ticket demand.
Asked whether we are getting closer to a decision over Alexandra Palace’s future as hosts of the tournament, Porter said: “I would hope that we’d be able to make a decision before this year’s world championship starts. So yes.”
The world championship is held in the 3,200-capacity West Hall and, despite an increased 128-player field, tickets for this year’s event did not reach general sale after members snapped up all available tickets in their pre-sale window. The PDC described the demand as “unprecedented.”
There was a similar situation for last year’s tournament with the PDC saying at the time that it “recognises the frustration which some fans may have at not being able to acquire the tickets they wanted” amid record demand.
Porter did not give an indication of where the world championship would be held in the future but said the scarcity of world championship tickets can add to their intrinsic value in a way often seen for the Glastonbury music festival.
He also acknowledged the need to balance the financial and cultural aspects of any decision over hosting rights.
“[Ticket scarcity] is part of the big appeal. It’s also part of the problem because you want to be able to satisfy as much of the demand as you can,” Porter said.
“We want to give people the opportunities to come and enjoy themselves at the event. And clearly at the moment we can’t do that with as many people as we’d like.
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“But in the same vein, we have to look at the fact that Ally Pally is an iconic venue. It’s the famous home of the world championship. It’s a venue we all love going to, and it’s looked at in the same way that Wimbledon is for tennis or Wembley is for the cup final. So it’s a big question for us to hopefully get right when we look to the future.”
ESPN has contacted Alexandra Palace for comment. A PDC spokesperson declined to comment.
The world championship begins on Dec. 11 with four matches including defending champion Luke Littler taking on Darius Labanauskas.
