Richard Ashdown resigns from position of WDF Chief Development Officer after being accused of 'conflict of interest' by World Champion Neil Duff
WDFMonday, 26 December 2022 at 13:30
After the announcement of the WDF World Championship moving to December, Richard Ashdown has resigned from his position of Chief Development Officer with 'immediate effect'.
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This after Neil Duff, the current WDF World Champion accused him of a 'conflict of interest' seeing the date change as solely due to the PDC and Q-School with 'Little Richard' working PDC tournaments as a spotter likely seen as the conflict.
As well as pointing to the fact that the PDC show no intention to reinstate Grand Slam of Darts spots for WDF players so doesn't see why it should be tailored in his opinion around it.
As a result, Ashdown responded with a statement on Friday evening rubbishing these claims and also revealing that they were offered a broadcast deal which would've seen them clash with the World Seniors which wasn't taken and was done in his eyes to help players like Duff who are involved at the Circus Tavern in February.
"How dare you, Neil Duff, when my only interest in the last 3 years has been to try and make things better for WDF players," said Ashdown on social media.
"That includes giving you the freedom of choice to play in whatever events you wish, with as many opportunities as possible. As the governing body, that IS the WDF’s responsibility and something I have been striving to achieve.
"The WDF were offered a broadcast option that would have meant clashing with the World Seniors Championship too, but I lead the decision against that, so as not to compromise the likes of yourself."
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Before announcing he will resign from his position as a result of this. "Rest assured, I will be stepping down from the WDF with immediate effect. It’s quite the legacy for me that in almost killing myself to get the Lakeside World Championship up and running again, it’s none other than the WDF world champion himself calling for me to depart. I wish you and all those that compete in WDF events in 2023 and beyond the very best of success."
Further questions were asked by Duff including around the theory of scheduling the World Championship around the PDC which Ashdown responded to. "This isn’t for the PDC. It’s for the players that play in the WDF system that also want to play at Q-School, just as many of those who qualified for Lakeside 2022 did in January"
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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.
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