PRIZE FUND BOOSTS IN 2016 PDC EXPANSION
Darts December 29th, 2015
PRIZE FUND BOOSTS & AMENDED FORMATS IN 2016 EXPANSION
A BELATED Christmas present for PDC players will see prize money for three major ranking tournaments and Players Championship events increased in 2016 with £650,000 to be added to prize funds on the PDC circuit.
Total prize funds in PDC tournaments worldwide will reach £10 million with the addition of prize money to the William Hill World Darts Championship, Unibet European Championship and Cash Converters Players Championship Finals.
The prize funds for the 20 Players Championship tournaments will also increase, moving up by £15,000 to £75,000 per tournament to see £300,000 added to the PDC ProTour alone.
Prize money in the Unibet European Championship will rise by £100,000 to a total of £400,000, with qualification for the 2016 tournament to be based solely on prize money won in the ten European Tour events during the year.
In addition, the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals will expand to 64 players with play across two stages as the event becomes bigger than ever in 2016.
The 64 qualifiers will be based on prize money won in the 20 Players Championship events to take place during 2016, with the total prize money being increased to £400,000 for the Butlins Minehead weekend.
Following the recent confirmation of a new sponsorship deal with William Hill, the William Hill World Darts Championship’s prize money will grow by a further £150,000 to £1.65 million, including a new record £350,000 for the winner.
“This is the latest phase of our move to increase both prize money and playing opportunities for our players and is another boost for players across the circuit,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
“Expanding the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals to 64 players will double the number of competitors and allows us to add a second stage at the Butlins Minehead Resort for what is already a hugely popular tournament.
“Coupled with the amendment to the qualifying format for both the Players Championship Finals and the Unibet European Championship, this means that the increase in ProTour prize money also takes on greater significance for our players.
“Finally, we will continue to increase prize money for darts’ showpiece tournament, the William Hill World Darts Championship, as we pledged to recently following William Hill’s extension of their title sponsorship until 2020.
“We’ve said for many years that there’s never been a better time to be a darts player within the PDC system, and in 2016 there will be more opportunities than ever and more prize money than ever for players with the ambition to be successful in our sport.
“We were already expecting a record entry for the 2016 PDC Qualifying School, but I’m sure that this announcement will further galvanise the hopes of aspiring players worldwide to try to win a PDC Tour Card in January.”
Prize money for the ten European Tour events will remain at £115,000 per tournament and the six Coral UK Open Qualifiers will continue to have a £60,000 prize fund, with those six events counting towards qualification towards the Coral UK Open Televised Finals in March.
PDC Prize Fund Increases
2016 Unibet European Championship
* Qualification based on prize money won in the ten European Tour events for the top 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit
| 2016 Event | 2015 Event | |
| Winner | £100,000 | £65,000 |
| Runner-Up | £40,000 | £35,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £20,000 | £17,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £15,000 | £11,500 |
| Second Round Losers | £10,000 | £7,000 |
| First Round Losers | £5,000 | £4,000 |
| Total | £400,000 | £300,000 |
2016 Cash Converters Players Championship Finals
* Qualification based on prize money won in the 20 Players Championship events for the top 64 players from the Players Championship Order of Merit
| 2016 Event | 2015 Event | |
| Winner | £75,000 | £65,000 |
| Runner-Up | £35,000 | £35,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £20,000 | £17,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £11,500 | £11,500 |
| Third Round Losers | £7,500 | £7,000 |
| Second Round Losers | £5,000 | £4,000 |
| First Round Losers | £2,000 | N/A |
| Total | £400,000 | £300,000 |
2016 Players Championship Events
| 2016 Events | 2015 Events | |
| Winner | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Runner-Up | £6,000 | £5,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £3,000 | £2,500 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £2,250 | £2,000 |
| Third Round Losers | £1,500 | £1,500 |
| Second Round Losers | £1,000 | £750 |
| First Round Losers | £500 | £250 |
| Total | £75,000 | £60,000 |
2016/2017 William Hill World Darts Championship
* Qualification remains based on Top 32 in PDC Order of Merit plus qualifiers from a combined ProTour Order of Merit based on prize money won in European Tour events, Players Championships and Coral UK Open Qualifiers.
| 2016/2017 Event | 2015/2016 Event | |
| Winner | £350,000 | £300,000 |
| Runner-Up | £160,000 | £150,000 |
| Semi-Finalists | £80,000 | £75,000 |
| Quarter-Finalists | £38,000 | £32,500 |
| Third Round Losers | £25,000 | £22,000 |
| Second Round Losers | £17,000 | £15,000 |
| First Round Losers | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Preliminary Round Losers | £4,500 | £4,250 |
| Total | £1,650,000 | £1,500,000 |
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