PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter responds to schedule criticism: “No one’s got a gun to their head being forced to go to these events”

The PDC have received some criticism in recent times for their scheduling and the elite getting burned out due to playing week after week.

But for chief executive, Matt Porter, he said that the players don’t have to be involved in everything and said that they should be encouraged to take a holiday.

“They can choose to get on holiday. No one’s got a gun to their head being forced to go to these events. No one is being forced to play in any events,” said Porter to Online Darts.

“If a player wants to go on holiday, as I’ve said on plenty of occasions, they’re perfectly within their rights. And I would encourage them to go on holiday because you can’t play in everything, or you’ll be knackered.

“So manage your calendar, manage your schedule. If you need to miss something, then choose what you want to miss.

“Some of the well-managed players will miss events because it’s the right thing to do. Take some family time, some time away from the pressure, the media, the fans. Just unwind and come back fresher.

“You can’t have a player getting to September and October being exhausted because they’ve played every week.”