"It's not financially viable" - Neil Duff urges changes to 'unjustifiable' WDF World Championship prize money

Neil Duff was crowned WDF world champion back in 2022. The now 52-year-old Northern Irishman also competed at the recent WDF World Championship at the iconic Lakeside Country Club, but was stranded in the quarterfinals after a 4-3 defeat to American Jason Brandon.

After the prize money was cut for the 2024 tournament, Duff received only £4,000 for his run to the quarter-finals. Partly because of this, Duff is now calling for changes in the prize money at the WDF World Championship. "Whenever it was released, it didn't bother me one jot because I was going for the £50,000. I wasn't thinking about coming second," Duff begins in conversation with Online Darts. "But looking back on it now, I think there was five or six Australian players who had come over nearly a week before, just for £750 for a prelim round. And that's taxed! Overseas players are taxed on that as well."

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"Two years ago, whenever I stayed at the Lakeside, it was £50 a night and the money was taken out of your prize money. Last year was £70, this year was £99. So players that are staying there for 10/12 nights, I mean it's cost them two or three grand to be there," continues the Northern Irishman. "For guys to qualify in Australia or Canada and come over to have them play a prelim, it's not financially viable."

Neil Duff, the 2022 WDF world champion

As such, Duff is urging the WDF to change something in regards to their World Championship. "I say cut it back down. Cut the numbers back down again, wipe off the first weekend and play it from Tuesday or Wednesday. Then bulk up the prize money, just so that for a first round loser, it's worth their while to come across," he explains his potential solution. "The other flip side of that coin, is at least there is the World Championships you know. They could just turn around and go: 'this is too hard to get money for,' and just wipe it off the calendar. I mean it's happened before, so at least there is something there to play for."

"But you need to break the money down a bit better. If you do the Tour for 12 months to get in a qualifying position for the Lakeside, to go out in a prelim round and get £750, in comparison to the money you've spent to earn them points, it's unjustifiable," he concludes. "Unless you finish top 4 at the Lakeside, you're going to run at a loss."

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