Players Championship events are pivotal, high-stakes darts tournaments that unfold behind closed doors, offering intense single-day action crucial for player rankings. Unlike major televised events, these ProTour competitions are exclusively streamed live on PDCTV worldwide, providing fans a unique glimpse into the raw, unfiltered drama of professional darts where rising stars often challenge established champions. This guide tells you everything you need to know to catch the excitement.
Unlocking the Unseen Drama: What are Players Championships?
The Players Championship series forms a vital part of the PDC ProTour, showcasing the depth of talent in professional darts. These events are fundamentally different from the glitzy, arena-filled major tournaments you might see on TV. Here’s what sets them apart:
- Behind Closed Doors: No live audience means a unique, focused atmosphere where players battle it out purely on skill.
- Intense Single-Day Format: Each event is a standalone knockout tournament, demanding peak performance from the very first dart.
- Crucial for Rankings: These are key ranking events, influencing qualification for major tournaments and determining players’ positions on the PDC Order of Merit.
- Breeding Ground for Upsets: The short format often sees emerging talents defeat established champions, making for unpredictable and thrilling matches.
Players Championship 1, as the opening ProTour event of the season, is particularly significant. It offers the first real test of form after the World Championship break and a crucial opportunity for new tour card holders to make their mark against seasoned professionals.
Your Exclusive Pass: How to Watch Players Championship 1 Live
Given their unique format, Players Championship events are not typically broadcast on traditional television channels. Instead, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) offers a dedicated streaming platform for fans worldwide.
PDCTV: Your Global Darts Hub
All Players Championship events, including Players Championship 1, are streamed live and exclusively through PDCTV. This official platform provides comprehensive coverage, allowing viewers to follow matches from the main streaming boards right from the early rounds through to the final.
PDCTV is designed to give fans access to these “floor tournaments” – so named because they take place on multiple boards across a single venue floor – which are otherwise inaccessible.
Watching in Your Region:
- United Kingdom (UK): As ProTour floor events, Players Championships are generally not televised on standard UK channels. Your best bet for live coverage from the opening rounds onwards is PDCTV.
- United States (USA): Viewers in the US can also watch all Players Championship events live via PDCTV. The platform offers worldwide streaming access for subscribers outside of restricted broadcast territories.
- Australia: Australian darts enthusiasts can similarly tune into the live streams through PDCTV, ensuring real-time coverage of the main boards throughout the tournament day.
The typical schedule for Players Championship 1 runs approximately between 12:00 and 18:00 UK time, though match durations and overall flow can vary based on results and board allocations.
The Contenders: Players Championship 1 & 2 Entries
These tournaments feature a vast field of professional players, all vying for crucial ranking points and prize money. Here’s a look at the participants for Players Championship 1 and 2, held at Halle 39, Hildesheim on February 9-10:
Players Championship 1 Entries:
Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, Keane Barry, Owen Bates, Stefan Bellmont, Filip Bereza, Sebastian Bialecki, Tom Bissell, Andy Boulton, Bradley Brooks, Stephen Burton, Dave Chisnall, Gabriel Clemens, Cam Crabtree, Rob Cross, Joe Cullen, Niall Culleton, Maximilian Czerwinski, Mike De Decker, Jeffrey de Graaf, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Cor Dekker, Chris Dobey, Kevin Doets, Brendan Dolan, Martijn Dragt, Tavis Dudeney, Ritchie Edhouse, Matthias Ehlers, Ricky Evans, Adam Gawlas, Andrew Gilding, Kai Gotthardt, Beau Greaves, Rhys Griffin, Dominik Gruellich, Daryl Gurney, Stefaan Henderyck, Damon Heta, Yorick Hofkens, Justin Hood, Max Hopp, Joe Hunt, James Hurrell, Kim Huybrechts, Ryan Joyce, Tytus Kanik, Nick Kenny, Mervyn King, Christian Kist, Marvin Kraft, Maik Kuivenhoven, Darius Labanauskas, Chris Landman, Sietse Lap, Adam Leek, Steve Lennon, Adam Lipscombe, Pero Ljubic, Jim Long, Thomas Lovely, Oskar Lukasiak, Martin Lukeman, Charlie Manby, Mickey Mansell, Shane McGuirk, Ryan Meikle, Cameron Menzies, Arno Merk, Alexander Merkx, Tommy Morris, Wessel Nijman, Danny Noppert, William O’Connor, Dennie Olde Kalter, Rob Owen, Adam Paxton, Ricardo Pietreczko, Darryl Pilgrim, Wesley Plaisier, Benjamin Pratnemer, Gerwyn Price, Samuel Price, Krzysztof Ratajski, Madars Razma, Cristo Reyes, Greg Ritchie, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Stephen Rosney, Pascal Rupprecht, Callan Rydz, Martin Schindler, Connor Scutt, Ryan Searle, Karel Sedlacek, David Sharp, Michael Smith, Ross Smith, Carl Sneyd, Alan Soutar, Jeffrey Sparidaans, Niko Springer, Mensur Suljovic, Tom Sykes, Tyler Thorpe, Viktor Tingstrom, Thibault Tricole, Jack Tweddell, Raymond van Barneveld, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Jurjen van der Velde, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Michael van Gerwen, Jimmy van Schie, Gian van Veen, Marvin van Velzen, Mario Vandenbogaerde, Richard Veenstra, James Wade, Adam Warner, Jermaine Wattimena, Leon Weber, Lukas Wenig, Ian White, Scott Williams, Luke Woodhouse, Peter Wright, Niels Zonneveld.
Players Championship 2 Entries:
Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, Keane Barry, Owen Bates, Stefan Bellmont, Filip Bereza, Sebastian Bialecki, Tom Bissell, Andy Boulton, Bradley Brooks, Stephen Burton, Dave Chisnall, Gabriel Clemens, Cam Crabtree, Rob Cross, Joe Cullen, Niall Culleton, Maximilian Czerwinski, Mike De Decker, Jeffrey de Graaf, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Cor Dekker, Chris Dobey, Kevin Doets, Brendan Dolan, Martijn Dragt, Tavis Dudeney, Ritchie Edhouse, Matthias Ehlers, Ricky Evans, Adam Gawlas, Andrew Gilding, Kai Gotthardt, Beau Greaves, Rhys Griffin, Dominik Gruellich, Daryl Gurney, Stefaan Henderyck, Damon Heta, Yorick Hofkens, Justin Hood, Max Hopp, Joe Hunt, James Hurrell, Kim Huybrechts, Ryan Joyce, Tytus Kanik, Nick Kenny, Mervyn King, Christian Kist, Marvin Kraft, Maik Kuivenhoven, Darius Labanauskas, Chris Landman, Sietse Lap, Adam Leek, Steve Lennon, Adam Lipscombe, Pero Ljubic, Jim Long, Thomas Lovely, Oskar Lukasiak, Martin Lukeman, Charlie Manby, Mickey Mansell, Shane McGuirk, Ryan Meikle, Cameron Menzies, Arno Merk, Alexander Merkx, Tommy Morris, Wessel Nijman, Danny Noppert, William O’Connor, Dennie Olde Kalter, Rob Owen, Adam Paxton, Ricardo Pietreczko, Darryl Pilgrim, Wesley Plaisier, Benjamin Pratnemer, Gerwyn Price, Samuel Price, Krzysztof Ratajski, Madars Razma, Cristo Reyes, Greg Ritchie, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Stephen Rosney, Pascal Rupprecht, Callan Rydz, Martin Schindler, Connor Scutt, Ryan Searle, Karel Sedlacek, David Sharp, Michael Smith, Ross Smith, Carl Sneyd, Alan Soutar, Jeffrey Sparidaans, Niko Springer, Mensur Suljovic, Tom Sykes, Tyler Thorpe, Viktor Tingstrom, Thibault Tricole, Jack Tweddell, Raymond van Barneveld, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Jurjen van der Velde, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Michael van Gerwen, Jimmy van Schie, Gian van Veen, Marvin van Velzen, Mario Vandenbogaerde, Richard Veenstra, James Wade, Adam Warner, Jermaine Wattimena, Leon Weber, Lukas Wenig, Ian White, Scott Williams, Luke Woodhouse, Peter Wright, Niels Zonneveld.
Key Absences & Non-Tour Card Participants:
Notably absent from these events are high-profile players such as Stephen Bunting, Jonny Clayton, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, and Josh Rock. Their absence can open doors for others. Meanwhile, a few non-Tour Card Holders are competing, including Joe Hunt, Martijn Dragt, Jack Tweddell, Steve Lennon, and Tommy Morris, adding another layer of intrigue as they battle against the tour’s regulars.
Source: Based on an article from Darts Planet TV.
