The World Darts Championship has been held at London's Alexandra Palace since 2008. Recently however, voices were raised, including by PDC chairman Barry Hearn, to move the tournament to Saudi Arabia in the future.
For PDC CEO Matt Porter though, this isn't yet a realistic proposal, as he informed that a move is definitely not for the near future. Also Wayne Mardle, himself a former top player and currently active as an analyst is not a fan of a possible World Championship move to the Middle East.
"I don't like it. And I'm not talking as someone who used to play in the past. I'm not that way, I embrace today's darts. I appreciate what they're doing and everything around the sport," Hawaii 501 says in quotes collected by Mirror Sport. "The reason I don't like it is because I'm a massive golf fan and I've seen the divide that's happened with LIV Golf and the PGA and the DP World Tour and it's not a happy place. I would hate for something that I think would be temporary to make a permanent change to the sport."
"Darts is UK-based which is why the biggest best events are predominantly in the UK, because that's where the fanbase is," continues Mardle passionately. "Take it to Saudi, give them all a million pound each for turning up, but what if there's no one watching it? Suddenly it becomes a sham."
"Yes, it's all about money, I get it. I get Barry Hearn, I get the PDC. Matt Porter [PDC chief executive], in my opinion, is one of the one of the best CEOs in sport. The PDC get things right," concludes Mardle. "But I would hate the World Championship to move to a bigger, more luxurious arena than Alexandra Palace. Ally Pally has got history, it works for darts. Yes, the money would be great for everyone involved but I think it would be a temporary thing that could ruin the game permanently. I'd hate to see that."
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