Last weekend, the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC), the youth system of the PDC, organized a Q-School. Here players under the age of 18 competed for an entry to the JDC Advanced Tour in 2025.
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Just as the senior level of darts has been enjoying a boom period of late, also the number of JDC Academies has doubled in 2024, with young players worldwide inspired by the success of Luke Littler, himself a two-time JDC World Junior Champion.
In addition to the worldwide academies, JDC hosts events each year on the Advanced Tour and Foundation Tour. On the JDC Advanced Tour, 32 players compete in 20 tournaments over five weekends, with a total of £18,000 in prize money.
13-year-old Belgian Lex Paeshuyse is one of the players who gets to compete on the Advanced Tour
Nineteen players were allowed to keep their Tour Card after the end of last year, in addition to another 13 players who captured their Tour Card for the Advanced Tour at Q School in Coventry on Jan. 18 and 19. New JDC World Junior Champion Lex Paeshuyse leads the four automatic Tour Card winners alongside Ben Townley of England, Jack Courtney of Ireland and Dominik Kocik of Slovakia.
A further nine players secured their Tour Card based on rankings compiled over the four Q School events, led by Jayden Walker - who takes on Jack Johnson in the JDC Super 16 final in Milton Keynes on February 2.
A total of 187 players competed for a Tour Card for the Advanced Tour, which was 100 more than in 2024. Players who failed to capture a Tour Card for the Advanced Tour may compete on the Foundation Tour this year.
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The Foundation Tour will also feature 20 tournaments over five weekends this year, with a total of £11,500 in prize money, while there will also be a JDC Girls' Series with 20 events over five weekends.
🗣️ "I'm very proud of myself!"
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 21, 2024
13-year-old Belgian Lex Paeshuyse reflects on creating history at Alexandra Palace, after defeating Daniel Stephenson 5-1 to become the youngest ever JDC World Junior Champion! 🏆👏 pic.twitter.com/TCI1wUUDrS
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026