“If you’re going to make it completely fair, it certainly isn’t” – Vincent van der Voort again critical of World Series Finals format

Vincent van der Voort looks back on the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam with a good feeling, but questions the sporting integrity of the event. The former professional believes the tournament should primarily be seen as a vehicle to promote darts worldwide. Judged purely on performance, he says the line-up is hard to justify.

On the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort reflected on a long weekend in Amsterdam. The final between Ross Smith and Gerwyn Price ultimately failed to fully convince him. Smith won 11-5 after the pair had traded legs early on.

“I think it was quite a good tournament. We saw entertaining matches and some quality stuff. The final was a bit underwhelming in terms of content,” Van der Voort judged. “Ross Smith was just very good, but up to 5-5 it was fun and then it was over. You see that more often in finals, they can get pretty one-sided.”

Van der Voort did not immediately expect Smith to win so comfortably. “I just didn’t expect Ross Smith to be that good in the final. But it’s impressive. His second TV title and he’s having a fantastic year. Fully deserved.”

Dirk van Duijvenbode also came up. The Dutchman fell in the quarter-finals to Gian van Veen after having chances during the match to take control. Still, Van der Voort does not think Van Duijvenbode will feel he could have won the whole tournament. “Of course you’re always gutted, because he could have won that match. But I don’t think Dirk feels this was a tournament he could have taken.”

Van der Voort mainly pointed to the hand injury that troubled Van Duijvenbode. “If your hand is already bothering you, that won’t improve over the course of a day like that. It’s another injury and it holds you back from developing further.”

According to his compatriot, Van Duijvenbode is still trying to get back to the level that took him, among other things, to the World Grand Prix final a few years ago.

“He’s searching for that form from a few years back, when he reached the World Grand Prix final. That easy scoring and the barrage of 180s, that’s faded a bit. He wants to get back there as quickly as possible and an injury doesn’t help.”

During the tournament, Van Duijvenbode also discussed the opportunities players from other parts of the world get via the World Series. He highlighted the sacrifices players from, for example, Australia must make to pursue a professional darts career.

Van der Voort recognises that from his own career. “One hundred percent. Absolutely. The Players Championship Finals used to be held in early December and my son’s birthday is on 02.12. Then I was never there. But I never once considered cancelling, because I had to push on. It was important for my career. You have to be selfish, too.”

Even for important personal moments, Van der Voort rarely made exceptions during his career. “Some tournaments are simply more important. My own birthday always falls during the Worlds.”

He tried to change that once for his 40th birthday. Van der Voort planned a party at home and asked the PDC not to schedule him exactly on his birthday.

“I asked the PDC: would you not schedule me on the 18th? I didn’t mind the 17th or 19th, but on the 18th I’d planned my birthday. You’ve got a week and a half for that first round and can put me anywhere. And those bloodsuckers still put me on the 18th,” he said with a laugh.

His conclusion about life as a professional darter is clear. “If you want to achieve something, you have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

Van der Voort is ambivalent about the World Series of Darts Finals format. He sees the value for players outside Europe, but at the same time feels that qualification for the season finale is hard to justify purely on sporting grounds. “In the end it’s an exhibition event. And it’s good for those players. But if you want to make it entirely fair, then it certainly isn’t.”

He pointed to the mixed records with which players arrived in Amsterdam. “The player who wins the tournament hasn’t won a match at home in the World Series. Some players lost in the first round every time. Some didn’t even take part and they end up in the quarter-finals of the Finals. That doesn’t add up.”

For Van der Voort, the judgment on the World Series depends on the PDC’s objective. “If it’s meant to promote darts and to see whether you can bring players through from the rest of the world, then it’s fine.”

The former pro would also love to see a player from outside the traditional darts nations truly break into the absolute world elite. For now, he says, that looks particularly difficult.

“You need to find an extreme talent at some point. They had that with Corey Cadby. But he turned out to be a complete idiot. And that’s a shame, because he could have been one.”

From other regions, Van der Voort still doesn’t see a player he expects to storm the world’s top. “From America we’ve got nothing. And it’s not like we feel something is on the way. They’ve been in Scandinavia, but even there it’s not like someone’s coming through where you think: he’s going to attack the top of the world.”

Van der Voort is slightly more positive about Asia. Motomu Sakai in particular impressed him during the World Series Finals. “From Asia they are getting better. I thought Sakai was really good in the first round against Rydz. But even there we don’t yet have someone where we say: he’s going to do it.”