"This is not done out of love for the sport, but out of love for money" – Roland Scholten sees one clear reason why the PDC keeps expanding worldwide

The PDC’s international ambitions keep growing. For years, professional darts revolved around Great Britain and a handful of European countries, but the global tour now reaches every corner of the world. From Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

For Gian van Veen, that shift means he is on a plane more and more often. The world number three finally gets to play on home soil again this weekend at the World Series of Darts Finals. Amsterdam is the final stop after a World Series season that covered thousands of kilometres. "I get to visit beautiful places, that's what you do it for. But I'm no world traveller yet, mind you."

Still, Van Veen notices his life is becoming more international. A free weekend in the Netherlands has been a rarity lately. It fits the course the PDC has set. The governing body wants to open new markets and push the sport firmly beyond traditional darts nations.

According to former pro Roland Scholten, it is not hard to explain why the PDC keeps looking further afield. Commercial potential plays a major role. "This is not done out of love for the sport, but out of love for money. Although that doesn't really matter.”

Scholten experienced first-hand how professional darts grew from a relatively small sport into a multi-million industry. He does not necessarily see the large commercial interests as a problem. "No one has become worse off because of it."

The key question is whether new countries truly warm to the sport. That varies greatly by market, say those involved. In Australia, the PDC need not worry much. Van Veen saw the interest up close. "There were five thousand people in the hall. Completely sold out,"

Saudi Arabia joined the World Series for the first time this year, but public interest there was limited. PDC chief Matthew Porter does not see that as a reason to pull the plug on such projects. "We see it as building sustainable interest," he says.

Bahrain is an example of a market that needs time. When the World Series landed there a few years ago, darts barely registered. Van Veen now notices a slow shift. During a school visit, he even saw the sport used in education. "I was part of the math lesson and gave a sort of demonstration."

The PDC also tries to spark interest by giving local players a stage at international events. That can produce surprises. In Australia, Brody Klinge impressed by reaching the final. He also posted a 104 average against James Wade. "He really is good enough," said Van Veen.

That is precisely where one of the challenges lies in the global growth plan. Any Australian who wants to face the elite regularly will ultimately have to be in Europe. The vast majority of key PDC tournaments are staged there.

Moving to Europe can boost a player’s career but also means a local crowd-puller appears less often at home.

The PDC hopes more players can make that leap and then serve as flag-bearers for their countries. "Moreover, the sport is becoming visible worldwide now that more and more countries are represented in the competitions," says Porter.

Damon Heta proved that it can work. The Australian broke through internationally after winning a World Series event on home soil in 2019 and became a PDC mainstay. Kenyan David Munyua also showed at the last World Championship how much enthusiasm a player from a relatively new darts nation can generate.

Van Veen sees the benefits of going global but also adds caveats. Not every destination is automatically suited to a major darts event. "If you were to hold a tournament in Bangkok now, for example, I don't think you would sell thousands of tickets there."

A calendar like in international tennis, where players travel from continent to continent almost year-round, is not realistic for now. The PDC has 128 Tour Card holders and cannot expect all of them to fly around the world constantly.

The World Series will therefore remain the primary tool to explore new markets for the time being. For Van Veen, that means lots of travel, new countries, and more time away from home. This weekend, the distance is much shorter for once. After months of planes and hotels, he gets to step up to the oche in Amsterdam in front of his own crowd again.