Matt Porter concedes Premier League format will eventually change following criticism over repetitive fixtures
The PDC’s chief executive has admitted that changes to the Premier League Darts format are inevitable, responding to growing criticism from players and fans about the repetitive nature of the current system.
Matt Porter acknowledged that while the tournament will undergo modifications in the future, the PDC remains satisfied with the current structure based on strong performance metrics across arenas and television audiences.
Van Gerwen Leads the Criticism
Michael van Gerwen has been vocal in his displeasure with the current format, calling for a return to the old setup with a round-robin league phase and seven mini-matches played each night.
“I didn’t do too well last year but I also don’t like the format to be fair. Sometimes that doesn’t help me,” the seven-time champion stated.
The Dutchman believes the current knockout system, where eight competitors face each other once during weeks 1-7 and then repeat the same pairings in weeks 9-15, has made the event predictable and less exciting.
“I prefer the old format ahead of what we do now, you could involve eliminations or split it with this format for a few weeks then the old format again. Now, all the players play too many games against each other,” Van Gerwen explained.
“That night is going to be Luke and Luke or Luke and Michael instead of it happening every single week,” he added, highlighting how marquee matchups lose their appeal through constant repetition.
PDC Boss Acknowledges the Issue
In an interview with Metro, Porter didn’t shy away from the central complaint about the format.
“I would accept that that is the biggest criticism of it. There is a lot of repetition,” the PDC chief executive conceded.
However, he stressed that modifications won’t come immediately, citing strong data supporting the current approach.
“We will change it at some point, but at the moment you can only look at the numbers that are in front of you. The live crowd and the TV audience, the numbers are telling us that the format is working,” Porter said.
He noted that attendance figures and viewing numbers continue to improve, suggesting the format resonates with audiences despite the criticism. “If spectators ceased purchasing tickets or switched channels, the approach would clearly not be succeeding, but currently every metric is improving,” Porter explained.
Format Evolution Is Certain
Porter emphasized that no Premier League format has ever been permanent throughout the tournament’s 22-year history.
“It’s not a format that will keep forever because we never keep any format forever in the Premier League. The format must have changed half a dozen times in the 20 years of the event,” he revealed.
The tournament has undergone numerous transformations since its 2005 inception, from varying player numbers to different match structures. The current eight-player knockout system with nightly winners was introduced in 2022.
The Venue Dilemma
Porter defended the repetitive fixture schedule by highlighting the challenge of satisfying audiences across multiple UK and European cities throughout the 16-week regular season.
“If you’re in Nottingham, you want to see Littler vs Humphries. If you’re in Aberdeen, you might want to see the same, and if you’re in Brighton, you might want to see the same,” the PDC boss explained.
“It’s very difficult to turn around to people and say, ‘oh, sorry, you can’t see the biggest matchup in your city,'” Porter added, illustrating the organizational balancing act between variety for television viewers and fairness for arena attendees.
He suggested that criticism may stem from different viewing perspectives. “You’re looking at it through the eyes of somebody who’s perhaps watching it on TV every week,” Porter said, implying that arena-goers attending one or two nights appreciate seeing all possible matchups.
Van Gerwen’s Opening Night Victory
The format debate intensified following the opening night of the 2026 Premier League in Newcastle, where Van Gerwen claimed his first nightly victory in nearly two years.
After defeating Gian van Veen 6-4 in the final, the Dutchman let slip an expletive during his live television interview when presented with the winner’s trophy, forcing Sky Sports to issue an apology.
His victory ended a difficult 2025 campaign where he failed to secure a single night win and missed out on the O2 Arena finals entirely.
Impact on the Stars
Should changes materialize, they would affect all eight competitors in the 2026 edition, including world champion Luke Littler, defending Premier League champion Luke Humphries, Van Gerwen, and debutants Gian van Veen and Josh Rock.
The current format sees players accumulate points based on their nightly finishes—five points for winning the night, three for the runner-up, and two for losing semi-finalists—before the top four progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on May 28.
For now, Porter remains committed to the existing structure while acknowledging that evolution is inevitable. “But at the moment, it’s still the right format, we believe, for what we’ve got,” he concluded.
As the Premier League continues its journey through cities including Antwerp—hosting its maiden event this year—and culminates in London, the tension between maintaining excitement and providing equitable access remains at the heart of the format debate.
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