The
Players Championship Finals in Minehead is the last major event before the highly anticipated PDC World Darts Championship commences. But where is Butlin's Minehead resort and when does the Players Championship Finals start in 2025?
Luke Humphries successfully defended his title in 2024 against his arch-nemesis Luke Littler, racking off four of the final five legs to clinch his second triumph in this event.
Here is all the info you need to know about Butlin's Minehead Resort.
1. Where is Butlins Minehead Resort?
2. When does the Players Championship Finals start?
3. How to qualify for Players Championship Finals?
4. How to get to Butlin's Minehead Resort?
5. How to get tickets for Players Championship Finals?
6. How much prize money up for grabs at Players Championship Finals?
7. Which players have won the Players Championship Finals?
8. What is the format for the Players Championship Finals?
1. Where is Butlins Minehead Resort
Minehead has become synonymous with the darting world, holding two prestigious tournaments throughout the year. It is located on the Devon coast, with the resort right on the coastline just outside the main city.
It is a large family holiday destination which first opened back in 1962. It features accommodation, entertainment venues, a variety of sporting activities, shops and restaurants. From 2012, it has also been the host of the Players Championship Finals. It acts as the final tournament before the PDC World Darts Championship.
Luke Humphries first won the Players Championship Finals in 2023
2. When does the Players Championship Finals start?
The Players Championship Finals will be from 21st November to 23rd November. All 64 participants will feature in round one's action on Friday, spreading across two jam-packed sessions of darts. Saturday will be split with round two action in the afternoon, and round three to be played in the evening.
The remaining eight players will lock horns in the quarter-finals scheduled in the Saturday afternoon. The semi-finals and final will feature Sunday evening, with the World Youth Championship final featuring Gian van Veen and Beau Greaves sandwiched between.
3. How to qualify for Players Championship Finals?
It is a long process to confirm your name for this event, with 34 Players Championship events throughout the year deciding who gets a ticket for Minehead. 128 players compete behind closed doors earning money which goes on their Players Championship order of merit. The 64 players who accumulate the most money qualify for the major event. The likes of Michael van Gerwen and Dimitri Van den Bergh failed to do this, while Humphries and Littler left it late to confirm their return.
At the end of the subsequent events, the order of merit will decide who plays who in Minehead. For example, 1st in the rankings will face off against 64th, which would be Gerwyn Price vs Max Hopp.
4. How to get to Butlins Minehead Resort?
Minehead does not have a train station, meaning the nearest station is Taunton Railway Station. The 28 and 28A bus from stop S3 outside the station, which will go right to the gates of the resort, taking around an hour.
You can also take National Express coach services which stop right outside the venue. If you are driving, exit at Junction 23 and follow the A 39 towards Minehead. Parking is available for the event.
5. How to get tickets for Players Championship Finals?
Tickets for the event first went on sale for PDCTV Annual Members. This costs £49.99 a year for the membership which also sees access to PDCTV which shows the European Tour and ProTour tournaments in the UK. What followed was a pre-sale, followed by a general sale for the remaining few tickets.
Currently, there are separate packages to stay and watch the event on sale on the
Butlins website.
Luke Littler made the final in the 2024 Players Championship Finals
6. How much prize money up for grabs at Players Championship Finals?
A total of
£600,000 prize money will be on offer to the darters in the Players Championship Finals. The champion in Minehead will take home a hefty £120,000 with the defeated finalist walking away with £60,000.
Semi-finalists will take £30,000, quarter-finalists claim £20,000, while exiting the third-round will gain you £10,000. A second-round appearance is worth £6,500 while losing in the first-round is £3,500.
| Position | Prize Money |
| Winner | £120,000 |
| Runner-Up | £60,000 |
| Semi-finalists | £30,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | £20,000 |
| Last 16 (Third Round) | £10,000 |
| Last 32 (Second Round) | £6,500 |
| Last 64 (First Round) | £3,000 |
7. Which players have won the Players Championship Finals?
Van Gerwen is the king in Minehead, with him boasting
seven titles in this event. His first came in 2013 when he defeated Phil Taylor in the final 11-7. He came out on top in three consecutive years between 2015-2017, with his most recent success coming in 2022.
He is clear of Taylor's tally of three, with Humphries very swiftly closing him down. The world number one has two titles, both coming in 2023 and 2024. Another triumph in Minehead would put him level with Taylor, and make him the second darter to win the event three times on the spin.
Aside from those three, the title has also been won by Paul Nicholson, Kevin Painter, Gary Anderson, Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright.
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor (98.04) | 16–9 | Robert Thornton (88.52) |
| 2010 | Paul Nicholson (92.75) | 13–11 | Mervyn King (89.74) |
| 2011 (Feb) | Phil Taylor (97.01) | 13–12 | Gary Anderson (96.31) |
| 2011 (Dec) | Kevin Painter (96.28) | 13–9 | Mark Webster (93.31) |
| 2012 | Phil Taylor (103.57) | 13–6 | Kim Huybrechts (91.70) |
| 2013 | Michael van Gerwen (102.45) | 11–7 | Phil Taylor (102.64) |
| 2014 | Gary Anderson (101.01) | 11–6 | Adrian Lewis (95.37) |
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (100.32) | 11–6 | Adrian Lewis (89.17) |
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (108.34) | 11–3 | Dave Chisnall (99.24) |
| 2017 | Michael van Gerwen (105.50) | 11–2 | Jonny Clayton (94.64) |
| 2018 | Daryl Gurney (95.61) | 11–9 | Michael van Gerwen (100.20) |
| 2019 | Michael van Gerwen (97.92) | 11–9 | Gerwyn Price (96.48) |
| 2020 | Michael van Gerwen (104.98) | 11–10 | Mervyn King (99.78) |
| 2021 | Peter Wright (95.49) | 11–10 | Ryan Searle (92.10) |
| 2022 | Michael van Gerwen (99.92) | 11–6 | Rob Cross (100.33) |
| 2023 | Luke Humphries (100.75) | 11–9 | Michael van Gerwen (103.19) |
| 2024 | Luke Humphries (103.69) | 11–7 | Luke Littler (100.08) |
8. What is the format for the Players Championship Finals?
All matches are played in leg-format. It is a knockout competition, with the field being split in half at the climax of every round. The first-round will see all 64 players clash until 32 remain for the second-round.
These first two matches are played best of 11 legs, with the last-16 and quarter-finals going up to best of 19. The semi-final and final will also go up in legs, with the best of 21 legs the format for these culminating matchups.
| Round | Format | Number of Legs Needed to Win |
| First Round | Best of 11 legs | 6 legs |
| Second Round | Best of 11 legs | 6 legs |
| Third Round | Best of 19 legs | 10 legs |
| Quarter-Finals | Best of 19 legs | 10 legs |
| Semi-Finals | Best of 21 legs | 11 legs |
| Final | Best of 21 legs | 11 legs |