Schedule Night Eight Premier League Darts 2025: Van Gerwen v Aspinall and Dobey's homecoming headline in Newcastle
PDC
We are exactly halfway through the league phase in the Premier League Darts 2025 today. The eighth round of play will be played Thursday night at the Utilita Arena in the English city of Newcastle.
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As in past years, the draw for this round of play is based on the positions of the players in the Premier League Darts standings. The number one faces the number eight, the number two meets the number seven, the number three plays against the number six, while the numbers four and five also cross swords in the quarter-finals.
Follow the Premier League Darts 2025 via our LIVE SCORE!
Follow the Premier League Darts 2025 via our LIVE SCORE!
The Utilita Arena, formerly known as the Metro Radio Arena, has been a fixture of the Premier League Darts circuit since 2007. Back then, the likes of Colin Lloyd, Roland Scholten, Adrian Lewis, Dennis Priestley, Peter Manley, Phil Taylor, Terry Jenkins, and Raymond van Barneveld graced the stage in Newcastle.
Fast forward to the modern era, and the venue remains a crucial stop on the Premier League calendar. In 2022, when the current format featuring mini-tournaments was introduced, Michael Smith claimed the weekly title in Newcastle with victories over James Wade (6-4), Gerwyn Price (6-3), and Jonny Clayton (6-3). The following year, Gerwyn Price dominated, overcoming Clayton (6-1), Chris Dobey (6-4), and Michael van Gerwen (6-1), posting a staggering 114.96 average in the final.
Last year, however, Van Gerwen turned the tables on Price in the quarterfinals before securing the Newcastle title with wins over Luke Littler (6-5) and Nathan Aspinall (6-4).
Key Matches in Newcastle
Luke Littler vs. Stephen Bunting
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The reigning Premier League champion, Luke Littler, has made an electric start to the new season. After seven rounds, 'The Nuke' sits comfortably atop the standings, having reached five weekly finals and winning three. Last week in Cardiff, the 18-year-old sensation delivered a spectacular performance, defeating Michael van Gerwen in a breathtaking final with a 112.50 average and a nine-darter.
Stephen Bunting, on the other hand, is still searching for his first victory in this year’s Premier League. While he has shown glimpses of promise against Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, and Chris Dobey, ‘The Bullet’ has yet to come close to a win. The odds are firmly against him as he faces the league leader.
Earlier this season, Littler and Bunting clashed in Exeter, where Littler triumphed 6-3 with a remarkable 112.34 average. The overall head-to-head record stands at 3-2 in Littler’s favor.
Gerwyn Price vs. Rob Cross
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In terms of rankings, this could be the most pivotal match of the night. Price currently sits in fourth place, while Cross is just behind in fifth, making this a crucial encounter for both players.
Price’s campaign has been marked by inconsistency—he has won two weekly titles but also suffered first-round exits on four occasions. Cross, meanwhile, has displayed fluctuating form, winning his opening match in five of the seven rounds but failing to reach a single weekly final.
These two met just last week in Cardiff, where Cross silenced the Welsh crowd by eliminating Price in the quarterfinals. It was Cross’ second consecutive victory over ‘The Iceman,’ having also beaten him in the Dutch Darts Masters semifinals earlier this year. Despite this, Price still leads their head-to-head battle 14-12.
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Luke Humphries vs. Chris Dobey
Luke Humphries started his Premier League campaign in dominant fashion, securing two weekly titles in the first four weeks. However, his form has dipped recently, with three consecutive first-round exits costing him the top spot in the standings to Luke Littler.
Chris Dobey finally broke his winless streak last week in Cardiff, claiming a much-needed 6-2 victory over Stephen Bunting. However, ‘Hollywood’ still has significant ground to make up in the playoff race, trailing the top four by seven points.
Dobey will have the crowd firmly behind him in Newcastle, which is near his hometown of Bedlington. As a passionate supporter of Newcastle United, he will be eager to deliver a strong performance in his favorite venue.
This will be the third Premier League clash between Humphries and Dobey this season. Humphries dominated their first encounter in Belfast, winning 6-1, before securing a 6-4 victory in Glasgow with a 106 average. Overall, Humphries leads their head-to-head series 10-7.
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Michael van Gerwen vs. Nathan Aspinall
Nathan Aspinall arrives in Newcastle in high spirits after securing his maiden Euro Tour title at the European Darts Trophy last weekend. It was his first title since the 2023 World Matchplay and a reward for his consistent form in recent weeks. In the Premier League, ‘The Asp’ has reached two weekly finals but needs a strong result to maintain his top-four ambitions.
Michael van Gerwen, meanwhile, has a prime opportunity to put more distance between himself and players outside the playoff spots. ‘Mighty Mike’ finally made his first weekly final of the season last week in Cardiff, only to fall short against Luke Littler. He also reached the semifinals of the European Darts Trophy but was halted by Ryan Joyce.
This will be the third meeting between Van Gerwen and Aspinall in this year’s Premier League. Aspinall won their first encounter in Dublin (6-3), but Van Gerwen responded with a 6-4 victory two weeks ago. Overall, Van Gerwen has dominated their head-to-head, winning 20 of their 28 encounters.
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Premier League Prize Money and Format
Weekly Winner’s Bonus
One of the unique aspects of the Premier League is the weekly mini-tournament format, where each night’s champion earns an additional £10,000. With the competition spanning 16 weeks, this means a potential £160,000 is up for grabs in bonus prize money alone.
Alongside the prize bonuses, players also accumulate points for the league standings. The breakdown is as follows:
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- Winner: 5 points
- Runner-up: 3 points
- Semi-finalists: 2 points
- Quarter-finalists (First Round Losers): 0 points
Tournament Format
League Phase
- Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals: Best of 11 legs
Playoffs
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- Semifinals: Best of 19 legs
- Final: Best of 21 legs
Where to Watch
Thanks to Sky Sports, darts fans won’t miss a moment of the Premier League action. Every Thursday night from 7 p.m., the channel provides live coverage, including expert analysis and interviews with the key players.
The broadcasts typically run until 11pm, ensuring an evening packed with top-tier darts entertainment.
Prize Money Distribution
With a total prize fund of £1,000,000, the eight Premier League contenders are competing not just for the title but also for a lucrative payday. All players are guaranteed £60,000, while the overall champion will walk away with £275,000.
Additionally, the £10,000 weekly winner's bonus provides extra motivation for players looking to boost their earnings throughout the season.
Schedule Premier League Darts 2025
Eighth round of play - Thursday, March 27 (7pm)
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Luke Littler v Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross
Luke Humphries v Chris Dobey
Michael Van Gerwen v Nathan Aspinall
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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.
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026