"This is a very big disaster" - Ronny Huybrechts considers turning in Tour Card because of midweek Players Championships

The PDC recently announced a drastic change in the darts calendar. Starting next year, the Players Championships will all take place throughout the week instead of on weekends.

This year already half of the Players Championships take place throughout the week, so from next year all of them. "This is a very big disaster," said Ronny Huybrechts to Het Nieuwsblad. 'The Rebel' works as a warehouseman in addition to darts. "I already took a quick look and did some math: if I take in all the floor tournaments until June, my days off. And then I haven't even counted the qualifications for other tournaments. That's just not possible. I can't be absent 80 to 90 days as the only warehouse worker with us. In a big factory, you can possibly make a deal with your boss, but this is not the case for me. I can sometimes pick a few extra days, but not that much."

"Their reasoning just doesn't add up," Huybrechts continued. "They say the world number 50 has earned £100,000 in two years (that's Ritchie Edhouse and indeed he's sitting at a prize money total of £102,250, ed.). But that amount is not in his account. All players outside the world top echelons have to hand over 50 percent of their prize money to the manager. Add to that British taxes, Belgian municipal taxes and social contributions, and you're left with 10,000-15,000 euros a year. Surely no one can live on that? Okay if you live at home like a Mike De Decker, but as a grown man with a family?"

"Even 'our Kim' (brother Kim Huybrechts) doesn't jump far with his prize money if he didn't have his store," Huybrechts said. "Believe me. Paying off a house, a car, young kids to go with it. They apparently expect all of us to turn pro full-time, all 128 of us. And then you hear on TV that the winner of a certain tournament wins 160,000 pounds. I get so worried about that. People hear that amount and fall off their chair of 'wow, amai!' But that really gives a distorted picture. Okay, the world's top players make a living. But the rest..."

So the 58-year-old Belgian, who only captured his Tour Card early this year, is strongly considering returning it as early as the end of this year. "I'm going to talk about it with my manager anyway. It will be watching where I stand. Maybe I can take my leave and then see if there is a chance I can keep my Tour Card. In that case maybe my boss will understand, but my products have to go out as well lol. I expect some more darters will turn in their cards. I heard that Robbie (Knops, ed.) also doubts and Mario (Vandenbogaerde, ed.) is an independent together with his son. Then you think twice, also the darters who want to compete for such a Tour Card in January. It is nice if you get one, but you have to be able to achieve it. Not realize after a few months that it doesn't work out."

"And to think my wife has been traveling alone this summer," he adds. "I didn't see them for 15 days, but I can't afford to miss tournaments. And if you suddenly lose, no pay. Then you just have to win, they say. Yeah, it's not that simple."