PDC chief defends Premier League darts line-up and gives advice to snubbed stars
PDC chief executive Matt Porter insists he can understand why some players feel “aggrieved” after being snubbed for the Premier League darts line-up.
Joining the world’s top four of Michael Smith, Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price will be Jonny Clayton, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Nathan Aspinall and recently-crowned Masters winner Chris Dobey.
As a result, world number five Luke Humphries, last year’s Premier League’s runner-up Joe Cullen, UK Open holder Danny Noppert and European champion Ross Smith have all missed out.
READ MORE: Alternative Premier League darts line-up from dancing ‘Soulger’ to ‘s***-faced’ veteran
The line-up has predictably not gone down well with many fans but Porter has attempted to explain the thinking behind the selections, revealing players who regularly got to the latter stages of major tournaments had stronger case.
“There are players who have been left out, Danny Noppert, Ross Smith, who have won TV tournaments over the last 12 months, who can feel slightly aggrieved but we want to see players consistently reaching the last stages of tournaments,” he told the PDC’s owner YouTube channel.
What do you think of the Premier League line-up? Have your say in the comments section
(Image: Mike Owen/Getty Images)
“We want players to be ready to play in the intense cauldron of the Premier League. The way that you can show is by consistently being in the latter stages of TV tournament. If you look at Jonny, Dimitri, Nathan, that’s what they’ve been doing over the last one, two, three years.
“That’s shown us they are big stage players who are ready to do it. My message to play is: If you’ve been left out, I appreciate you’re disappointed and I respect that and you’ve got every right to have that opinion.
(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
“But put us in a position where we’ve got no choice to make about you. Get to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals, month in, month out on the big stage and show you’re worthy of a place amongst the likes of Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen, who for a few years now have been the elite of the elite of the game.”
The 2023 Premier League begins in Belfast on Thursday, with the pick of the quarter-finals seeing a repeat of the World Championship final between Smith and Van Gerwen.
READ NEXT: