Nicholson on too many unranked tournaments and World Series burnout: "There’s got to be a better way of spreading it out more"
PDC
Paul Nicholson in his latest column for Sporting Life asked the question of the spate of unranked tournaments currently utilising the calendar with five taking place since June with four World Series of Darts tournaments in particular.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Nicholson gets why players accept invites - he said this has contributed to many getting burnt out and that it doesn't help those a little further down the rankings who then can't play for a long period of time.
"The World Series events are also a useful way of branching the game out to other parts of the globe and ticket sales will always be a crucial money maker for the PDC but at the same time, there are so many of them and they take up lots of weekends when other players are itching to get involved in ranked action," he said to Sporting Life.
"Since the start of June we’ve seen the Premier League conclude along with World Series events in Copenhagen, New York, Amsterdam and the World Cup in Germany so it’s no surprise that the top players have looked jaded at times throughout what has been a very long season for them already.
"Earlier in the year, we did see performance levels drop from the Premier League players – not only on the Thursday nights but also during weekend action on the European Tour or the Players Championships and it got to the point where some of them opted to cherry pick the events they played in.
"Players selected in the World Series get appearance fees on top of the prize money they win and although that has no impact on their rankings, none of them will ever turn those invitations down. This is particularly problematic for Fallon Sherrock who is featuring in World Series events that clash with Women’s Series events and this could hamper her chances of qualifying for the World Championship."
Solution
But for Nicholson, what is the solution? He believes having more constructive breaks and spreading the calendar out more as well as playing in countries that deserve tournaments instead of using the same ones for multiple tournaments e.g Germany and the Netherlands.
ADVERTISEMENT
"At the moment there are three World Series events Down Under in August and that works perfectly because there are no ranking tournaments taking place during this time. The problems arise when you put all these European based ones in at a hectic time in the calendar when the Premier League, European Tour and Players Championship events are also filling up weekends," he added.
"The first six months of the year is way too cluttered with ranked, unranked and major action so there’s got to be a better way of spreading it out more.
"There were cases where a player would go to a European Tour event, then two Players Championships, then to the Premier League and then another European Tour event in just one week! Think of the travelling and the impact on your family life – not to mention darts performance.
"We need more constructive breaks, but it’s a matter of opinion as to whether that’s up to the player or the promoter.
ADVERTISEMENT
"My other suggestion would be spreading events across Europe a bit more if that’s at all possible. At the moment the Netherlands have a World Series event and the World Series Finals on top of their European Tour event and the Rotterdam Premier League. It’s too much for a small country and three of those are unranked!
"If you want to spread the game with unranked action then don’t put three of them in one country!"
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026