"They are playing one week on the Q School and they're never playing on the tour": Is Q-School unfair? Young Dutch star voices criticism of system
PDCWednesday, 12 August 2026 at 09:03
Jurjen van der Velde has voiced criticism of the current PDC Q-School system. The Dutchman understands that the tournament offers players a huge opportunity to secure a PDC Tour Card, but also believes that one good week currently carries too much weight. According to Van der Velde, future formats should take performances over a longer period more into account.
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Van der Velde was allowed to enter the most recent Q-School at the Final Stage. That was a key advantage for the Dutchman, as it meant he could skip the first three grueling days of the First Stage.
"Yeah, it's a very hard week because I can start in the final stage because I was playing well in the last few years, so last few months, so that's why I could start in the final stage," said Van der Velde as per Oche.
The gap between the different phases of Q-School is significant. The Final Stage still features 128 players at the start, while during the first three days more than five hundred darters try to qualify for the decisive phase. For Van der Velde, that underscores how fierce the competition is.
"And yeah, it's very hard. In the final stage, there are still 128 players, but in the first three days, there are over 500 or something. But yeah, there are a lot of players and it's very hard and very long days. So yeah, I think for me, it's better than to start in the final stage."
Little certainty
According to Van der Velde, it is striking that results over a full season provide relatively little certainty. "I think it's still a strange system because it's only a week of darts. And if you're playing a whole year good and you're fifth on the Challenge Tour ranking and you're not securing a Tour Card for the next two years, and you're playing one week fantastic, and then you can have a Tour Card. So yeah, maybe they can change something in the future."
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That touches on a debate that has been ongoing within darts. Q-School is designed as a gateway to the professional circuit, but the system can result in a player who performs consistently over an entire season being overtaken by someone who delivers an exceptional week at exactly the right moment.
Van der Velde therefore sees room for adjustments. He does not think it is necessary to immediately hand out a large number of extra Tour Cards via the Challenge Tour or Development Tour, but does believe that consistency should be rewarded more.
"There's now only the three spots on the Dev Tour, two or three spots. So yeah, maybe it's not directly 10 spots, but yeah, maybe they can do it a bit more so because the youth darts is also growing and growing.
The Dutchman points to the development of young players. According to him, several talents are already showing they can handle the level of the PDC ProTour. "And you see with Mitchell Lawrie and some other youth players, they are very good. And if they are playing like that, they are good enough to be on the tour."
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Clear difference
That is precisely why Van der Velde believes there should be a careful look at which players truly aspire to a professional career. He sees a clear difference between players who have one good week at Q-School and those who have been showing for some time that they seriously want to build a career at the highest level.
"But yeah, just like I said, when you're playing one week very good on the Q School, there are also a few people from Germany, they are playing one week on the Q School and they're never playing on the tour because they don't have a plan or something."
Jurjen van der Velde holds a PDC Tour Card
Huge investment
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Van der Velde considers the latter an important point. A Tour Card not only brings the chance to play on the PDC circuit, but also requires a huge investment of time, money, and energy. Traveling to tournaments, accommodation costs, and playing dozens of matches per season present a major challenge. According to Van der Velde, a Tour Card should ideally go to someone who genuinely plans to seize that opportunity.
"Or maybe they have some other reasons. But yeah, give the spots to players who want to be on the tour," he concluded. With that, Van der Velde is not so much calling for Q-School to be scrapped entirely, but rather for a system in which performances over a longer period carry more weight.
Van der Velde’s remarks at the same time illustrate the dilemma the PDC faces. Q-School must remain accessible to new players, as it is precisely there that unknown talents can present themselves and break through in a short time. At the same time, there is a risk that established players or darters who perform strongly over a whole season miss out on a Tour Card due to a poor week at Q-School.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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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- He wouldn't get a tour card if there was a million on it
Amusementman09-08-2026 - This gormless, dull as dishwater nobody hasn't done anything this year and has absolutely no right to be considered for anything other than checking people's tickets on entry and it is likely he couldn't cope with that.richieburnettrocks09-08-2026
- How can PDC players play in streamed events?medinabello04-08-2026
- Great comment, some of the matches were a bit one sided but that was more to do with the quality on show.mikedarts03-08-2026
- I just think Aspinall loves the razzmatazz rather than real darts, goes on about his walk on and the premier league, loves exhibitions and proposed a 'royal rumble' and i'm not sure if it was him that suggested a Ryder Cup style tournament? I think they do need to look at how the ranking tournaments are treated, the UK Open, Euro Championships, Players' Championship all shoe-horned into four or so days rather than lasting all week and giving more players a chance to be on the big stage.Baphomet03-08-2026
- I play at home against myself, sometimes on Dartcounter, never played league or county. My best average on 501 was 107 which I hit last year. Today I was averaging 94 on a few games of 501, no warm up, just a quick chuck after dinner. I imagine it's a bit different up on stage. I play well at home though and do pretty good for only around 20 minutes play per day. 🙂PaulC02-08-2026
- Indeed I've been to Dublin on numerous occasion the atmosphere was electric and the crowd were always pumped plus the City West was a cool venue. It was a good week away The double start and finish is different and actually very enjoyable but a week in a nothing happening crime riddled city in a soulless stadium does not appeal. The venue does not merit the competition and format.richieburnettrocks02-08-2026
- the grand prix is struggling so we need to change the format? it's the only tournament that HAS a different variant, and the reason it's struggling is the shitty venue/crowd, not the format. literally any other tournament on the calendar would've been a better example.colt01-08-2026
- Beau's just gone 14-12-11-10 to win her second round PC game from 5-2 down. She's a true competitor not a show pony.Scoobedybop29-07-2026
- Quite rightly Beau is more interested in winning meaningful matches?Baphomet29-07-2026
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