PDC Chairman Eddie Hearn reveals £1million prize money dream for PDC World Darts Championship

Eddie Hearn took over as PDC Chairman earlier this year following the retirement of his father, Barry Hearn and the boxing supremo who now heads up the Matchroom Sport Group has grand plans for the sport.

This includes the potential for prize money to increase to £1m for the PDC World Darts Championship with the want for everyone to know how much you can really earn by playing darts.

“During the Covid period the PDC didn’t touch prize money, they continued to provide opportunities for players," said Hearn to Oche.

“I would love to make the World Championship a million pound first prize, that’s the general crazy plan that we’ll always talk about in board meetings.

“People relate prize money to the stature and size of the sport. If you ask a man in the street how much you get for winning the Worlds in darts, he’d probably say about 10 grand or 25 grand.

“So we have to make sure that people are aware of that. People can’t believe how much darts players make. But that’s going to continue to grow from a grass roots level.

“You can follow a dream as a kid to be a footballer. But it’s unusual for a kid to dream of being a darts player. But we know if opportunities are there to play on TV and win major prize money, it does become a more fruitful career.

“I think the job they have done on prize money is sensational. The Ally Pally is the flagship event and it should always remain that way.

“New territories that are coming in and looking to make a splash, want to make a splash with a big prize pool which ultimately is a fantastic opportunity for the players.”

One aspect of this new look PDC role for Hearn is that he will not be changing certain aspects such as the Alexandra Palace being home of the World Championship with the same model not being employed as boxing.

“In this position I am in, I have too much respect for the sport and Matt Porter, my old man and the board to come in and say ‘yeh we’ve had this opportunity from the middle east, we’re off’. I’d be overruled anyway. That’s because people care too much.

“This is very similar to the Crucible with the World Championship snooker. We’ve had so many opportunities to take that to China. And absolutely not is the answer.

“If I went to the board and said take the World Championship away from the Ally Pally, they’d look at me like I was mad. I wouldn’t even suggest it. That’s the beating heart of the sport.