'This is another significant step' - PDC chairman Barry Hearn on abolishment of entry fees

PDC Chairman Barry Hearn announced yesterday that entry fees would be abolished for next year's tour and that those who enter Q-School would gain access to the UK Open and Euro Tour qualifiers adding added incentive for those who either want to join or re-join the tour and he spoke about it in an interview with PDC.tv after the announcement.
"This is another significant step towards darts becoming a major global professional sport," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"I'm sure that this news will be welcomed by both our Tour Card Holders and the Associate Members who will benefit from the removal of entry fees, which previously cost around £4,000 per year for players.
"This move has been fully supported by the PDPA and gives additional value to players who hold the 128 coveted PDC Tour Cards, guaranteeing them entry to all of the 22 Players Championship events to be held next year.
"All Tour Card Holders and players who compete at the 2018 PDC Qualifying Schools in the UK and Europe will also be eligible to enter for free into the six UK Open Qualifiers and for all 13 European Tour events.
"With Qualifying School expanding to two locations, this has already increased the opportunities for players to secure their PDC Tour Card - the 'golden ticket' to becoming a superstar in darts!"
The likes of Paul Nicholson and Rob Cross praised the announcement with Nicholson summing it up as 'wow, just wow'
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