When you think of a night out watching the darts in London, your mind probably goes to Alexandra Palace, which has played host to the lively PDC Championships for the last 17 years.
The reason for the move would be demand, with many seeking a day out of frivolous darts antics at the iconic North London venue, and the rise in popularity of the game and thousands wishing to catch Luke Littler – who stormed to the final last year as a then 16-year-old – and co at the site.
Should this potential move happen, it could start for the 2025-2026 edition, with theoretical plans spoken about by promoter and Matchroom president Barry Hearn, who said he was open to the idea after 90,000 PDC World Darts Championship tickets were sold in 15 minutes this year.
Speaking to talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling this morning, Hearn said: “I asked my people in head office, ‘tell me, how many could I have sold?’ They said, somewhere over 300,000. Now that puts a different emphasis on it.
“Same as when we moved from the Circus Tavern all those years ago, now I’m looking at Alexandra Palace. And I’m saying, well, it only holds 3,500. I have to grow all the time. If you ever get complacent you go backwards.
Plans would also see the number of competitors at WDC increase over the 16-day event, rising from 96 from 72 in December 2018, with 32 additional players meaning 128 will compete for the trophy. This will mean there will be extra darts sessions, which would in turn lead to a further increase in the demand for tickets
“So, next year we will go from 96 to 128 players. We will add four more days, which is eight sessions, which is another 25,000 tickets. Sooner or later, I should be looking and saying: ‘Do you know, like with snooker, I need a bigger venue.’”
It’s hard to imagine the huge darts events not taking place at Ally Pally, though it could become a reality. There is not yet any confirmation on whether this move will take place, or any word on what venue could replace Ally Pally for the championships.