"It's wrong to assume that because somebody's won a TV event that they're a certainty" - Matt Porter on difficulties of Premier League selection

Since taking on the role of PDC Chief Executive in January 2008, Matt Porter has overseen the sport of darts evolve into a true global force over the past decade.

Over the last twelve months in particular the sport darts has grown massively, thanks in part to the rise of Luke Littler. Littler has quickly made a name for himself as one of the sport's brightest young talents. Transcending darts, Littler has also made an impact on the wider public consciousness like few darts players have before. In doing so though, Littler has brought new eyes to darts with the 2024 World Darts Championship against Luke Humphries breaking viewership records on Sky Sports in the UK, leaving PDC Chief Executive Porter very happy.

"I think Luke's impact has been with the younger generation, across digital platforms. That generation, that's how they communicate with each other, so I think the impact we're seeing from Luke Littler, is more amongst exciting teenagers that darts is something that they should follow or start to play," Porter explains in conversation with Darts Now. "If you look at the JDC numbers, you look at the Academy numbers, you can certainly see the impact that's had."

Arguably the highlight of Littler's first year in the big time was his incredible debut Premier League Darts campaign. 'The Nuke' topped the league table after 16 weeks and then starred on Finals Night to take the title with an 11-7 win over Luke Humphries in the final.

Given the rising level across the board in the PDC and a couple of surprise major winners in 2024, Porter and the rest of those in charge now face a difficult decision on who to select for the 2025 edition of the Premier League. "It's wrong to assume that because somebody's won a TV event that they're a certainty and I don't say that because of Richie Edhouse Mike de Decker and Dimitri van den Bergh," Porter assesses. "I say that because we have 11 TV events and there's only eight spots in the Premier League."

"We look at it over the course of what you've achieved over the 12 months and we say are you ready for the Premier League? Is your game ready for the Premier League? Is your temperament ready for the Premier League? Is your brand ready for the Premier League?" he explains further. "Remember the fuss there was when we left Luke Humphries out the previous year? Well actually, I think that was probably the one of the best decisions that's ever been made for Luke Humphries' career, if you look at what he's gone on to achieve since then! We left Rob Cross out, he's back strongly. Players in the past like James Wade have been left out and come back strongly, so I think there's more to it than just saying who won a TV tournament."

With only 8 spots on offer, the 2025 Premier League Darts could be one of the most difficult lineups to predict of all time!