"I haven't got Littler, Humphries guaranteed I'm asking questions": Top 16 should be invited to Players Championship Finals says Chris Mason with broadcasters in mind

The Players Championship Finals and World Series of Darts need radical change in the view of Chris Mason, who sat down for a lengthy chat with Online Darts, and amid the recent issues surrounding players committing to ProTour tournaments, the ex-player and now pundit and commentator said that it needs to follow the European Tour of sorts.

Mason said that the rules need to be changed to accommodate the big names who as of right now for the most part won't play in Minehead at the end of the year and in previous years we've had a lot of the big players get in late or snub the tournament entirely. Entries reached a new low recently with over 15 players skipping in Hildesheim and more alarmingly in Leicester. Usually the ProTours in Hildesheim aren't as well attended anyway but the ones in Leicester also followed suit.

Under Mason's proposal, the top 16 would get invited automatically so you have that safety net for the broadcasters that they would have Littler, Humphries, Van Gerwen (if he stays in the top 16) in and they could feasibly then skip every event. This in turn would lead to a more open door to do more e.g World Series tournaments.

"There are a few things that have got to change. They’ve got to change the Players Championship format and make it the top 16 in the world automatically involved," said Mason to Online Darts.

"Fewer and fewer players are going to commit to playing Players Championship events now because, quite frankly, it’s lost its mojo. Which is sad, because we were the forerunners in creating a Pro Tour. Back in the day, we did it ourselves, £50 each, first 128 entries guaranteed in, and there was £6,400 prize money. I think the winner got £2,400, which I won a couple of times.

"Now it’s £15,000 to the winner and the players aren’t even bothered. That just shows how far the sport has moved on. It’s not a negative thing, it’s positive, but I think if you want the top 16 in the world involved, you need a different ranking structure.

"Make it the top 16 in the world, then the next 48 if you’re keeping it at 64 players. I don’t think you can really have more than 64. It gives players more to play for. I’m doing Leicester next week and 15 players have already pulled out of Tuesday’s Pro Tour. Fifteen. It’s great for the standby players and those getting called up, because they get opportunities, but ultimately if I’m a broadcaster or sponsor and I haven’t got Littler, Humphries and Price guaranteed to be there, I’m asking questions. I think the rules will have to change. You need the elite players in your premier events, especially the TV events."

It was further said that Littler's parents said they wouldn't be at the traditional curry club outing before Minehead so he has no plans to currently play in any of the ProTours. "As far as I know, I don’t think Luke Littler is going to play Pro Tours this year.

"Things can change, obviously. He might suddenly decide to go to Wigan or whatever, but as it stands he’s not doing them. To be honest, if you’re that good, maybe you don’t need them anymore. I used to think you had to play Pro Tours because they sharpened you up and got you ready, but the landscape of the sport has changed. The players are different now.

"I was speaking to Nathan Aspinall and he was saying he can earn more money doing exhibitions and shows. Once you’re highly ranked and playing the big televised events with huge prize money, you don’t need to play Pro Tours anymore. Years ago, Pro Tours could massively improve your ranking. Now they barely make a dent. The only events that really move rankings now are the European Tours."

But Mason went on to say the whole perception of the top 16 being super difficult to break into is misplaced and said that there has been lots of movement to prove otherwise. When the European Tour shifted to the main names getting auto invited, many saw it as a closed shop. Mason sees it different.

"People used to say nobody would break into the top 16 because the top players had too much advantage, but look at the movement over the last 12 months. Outside of maybe the top two, there’s been loads of change.

"But that’s mainly because of the European Tour, not the Pro Tour. The European Tour is massive because the prize money is huge, it’s like winning two Pro Tours.

"That said, I think TV prize money is only going to keep increasing, and eventually players may become less concerned about European Tours too. Gary Anderson’s managed for years without really playing them regularly.

"I like the changes in the sport. I like players being willing to say, “I’m not bothered, I’m not playing it,” because it forces the powers that be to react and make these events more attractive again. For the top players now, Pro Tours are almost “take it or leave it”.

But inviting the whole top 16 to the Players Championship Finals in his view would also free them up to do more with the World Series and turn a flat product into one that actually works. He said that even having ones in England, Wales and Scotland for areas that do't get a lot of darts like Wales for instance which only hosts one Premier League night in Cardiff.

As well as the return to Ireland with Killarney given by Mason as an option. The World Grand Prix moved from the Citywest at the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic but has not returned since to the Emerald Isle with the fabled Double In, Double Out format now residing in Leicester.

Many earmarking that it doesn't have much prestige given also it hosts the vast majority of ProTours and unlike the Grand Slam of Darts which shifted across the city, it left Ireland entirely and hasn't gone back leaving a gap.

"I wouldn’t call it protecting them, I’d say inviting the top 16. But yes, it would free things up. You could run more World Series events without worrying about clashes because right now everything has to be carefully scheduled around the calendar.

"I did the first World Series events for ITV and they always felt a bit like, “Let’s just stick this on.” They don’t have enough prestige for me. If the top 16 were guaranteed in, you could give these events proper designated slots in the calendar and create more of a worldwide tour feel, a bit like golf.

"At the moment it feels too rushed and crammed into a couple of days. There’s not enough prestige around it, and I think they’re missing a trick. The World Series has worked brilliantly in places like New York, but I want to see World Series events in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales as well because we don’t get enough darts there anymore.

"Yes, we’ve got the Premier League and the Matchplay, but those events aren’t accessible for most fans. You can’t get tickets. The Matchplay only holds about 1,200 people and Premier League tickets disappear instantly.

"Why not do World Series events in bigger arenas here and see if they sell out? The same applies to the European Tour. Why not have European Tour events in Ireland or Wales? Ireland and Wales have had a massive influence on darts over the years and they’re starved of big events now.

"Ireland used to have the World Grand Prix and now that’s in Leicester. Don’t tell me there isn’t a venue in Ireland capable of hosting a European Tour or World Series event. Killarney would be perfect. Beautiful place, hotels everywhere, everything set up already. It would work brilliantly."