Almost a year after his heartbreaking defeat to Gian van Veen at the World Youth, Jurjen van der Velde has still qualified for the World Darts Championship. The Dutchman secured a spot via the Development Tour.
ADVERTISEMENT
Last year, Van der Velde almost qualified for the previous World Championship. He was in the final of the PDC World Youth Championship, where he was given five match darts to win from Gian van Veen. In exploiting one of these matchdarts, Van der Velde would have grabbed an Ally Pally spot.
The 22-year-old dart player then also lost his PDC Tour Card and had to play on the Challenge Tour and Development Tour this year, finishing sixth on the Development Tour Order of Merit. The four highest ranked players who had not yet qualified for the World Darts Championship would force participation.
Cameron Crabtree, however, had already assured himself for the World Darts Championship via the Pro Tour. Owen Bates was just on the right side of the line, but gained enough pounds in the last two Players Championship tournaments to qualify through the Pro Tour as well. As a result, Van der Velde's sixth-place finish is enough to compete at Alexandra Palace in December.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
⭐🇳🇱 Jurjen van der Velde has qualified for his first PDC World Darts Championship.
After losing his TC at the start of the year, the Dutchman bounced back by winning two titles on the Development Tour and one on the Challenge Tour. A well-deserved debut at 'Ally Pally' awaits.