With the recent roadmap announced by the UK Government regarding the end of the Coronavirus pandemic, PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter spoke to the Weekly Dartscast about his hopes for the World Matchplay to be staged with a crowd.
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“The legislation needs to be written up (by the government) and we need to see the details, but we’re obviously hoping by the time we get round to the World Matchplay in July, that we are going to be in a position to push the button to do things as normal,” Porter said to the Weekly Dartscast.
“That’s the hope, it will pan out that way over the next few months and we’ll be able to plan the way we’re going to go.
“Probably the hardest decision over the last 12 months was to take the World Matchplay away from Blackpool (last year), but I think it had to be done for necessary reasons.
“But ultimately, as we sit here on March 1st, we’re hoping that the World Matchplay will be played under normal conditions in July.”
The Masters and Q-School saw a recent change in format and starting with Q-School while minor tweaks are needed, Porter was happy with how it went.
“The idea of an initial stage and a second stage is something we wanted to implement anyway and it did help in keeping the numbers down. Whether there’s a need to split the first stage or not is something we need to decide.”
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As well as that with the Masters, he believes case and point for the 24 player field was Jonny Clayton and Mervyn King reaching the final.
“It didn’t hurt the event. It gave more people an opportunity after the World Championship. I don’t think there was a downside to doing it and obviously with Jonny (Clayton) and Mervyn (King) reaching the final, it shows the strength and depth is there to justify it.”
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.
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𝙀𝙓𝘾𝙇𝙐𝙎𝙄𝙑𝙀 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒!
PDC chief executive @MattPorter_PDC talks:-
* Full year of running events during the pandemic
* Reaction to new Masters and Q-School formats
* When fans could return
* Importance of what comes next
Listen 👇
theweeklydartscast.libsyn.com/matt-porter-ex…