PDC Tournament Director Graham Fairhurst on next week's PDC Summer Series: "It has been like a 9-5 job, a lot of work has gone into it"

PDC
Sunday, 05 July 2020 at 11:00
PDC Pro Tour stage

PDC Tournament Director, Graham Fairhurst has long been associated with the organisation having done most jobs there are to do before settling in his current role.

Fairhurst like many involved in the PDC has been overseeing the Summer Series which begins next week with five Players Championship events; albeit under the confines of social distancing measures and a bubble.
Speaking to the Weekly Dartscast, he admitted that it has been tough to get it off the ground; but that he expects it to be near business as usual when the initial stage is finalised.
"I think it'll be fine, we've done a lot of background work on test procedure. Everyone is going to be tested on arrival to the hotel; we know that everyone in the bubble in Milton Keynes are going to be negative but we obviously still have guidelines to follow," said Fairhurst.
I think the first couple of hours is going to be strange for staff and players; but I think once the games start come 12'o clock, I think everyone will settle down. Players obviously haven't had the chance to play for 2 or 3 months; so there's a lot of money to be won to go on the rankings for Blackpool (World Matchplay).
"The workload that everyone has had in the office to get these events off the ground has been like a 9-5 job; even though you've been doing it from home. A lot of work has gone into it."
In terms of changes, he also ran through what the players can expect to be different: "The draw will be done a lot earlier. They'll have a practice board which will be the same equivalent to their number of the board they're drawn on.
So if you're on Board 1, in the first two games on board 1; you'll go down and practise on the floor. Then if you're on games three and four; there will be a practice board on the balcony. So they help the social distancing."