Live darts will return to Aberdeen’s P&J Live in 2022 after the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) confirmed the venues for next year’s Premier League.
The Granite City arena, which hosted the opening night of the Premier League in 2020, had been due to stage night 12 of the 2021 competition on April 22.
However, ongoing Covid-19 restrictions mean this year’s date will no longer go ahead, with the PDC planning to stage at least half of the event, usually played over four months, behind closed doors.
Despite this blow to north-east darts fans, they can take comfort in the news the likes of current world champion Gerwyn Price, Scotland’s Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, as well as other big names like Glen Durrant and Michael van Gerwen, are likely to be back in Aberdeen on April 21, 2022.
P&J Live is again scheduled to host night 12 of the Premier League, with the city set to continue its more-than-15-year association with the wildly-popular tournament.
PDC chief executive Matthew Porter said: “We are pleased to be able to set out our Premier League schedule for 2022 almost a year in advance.
“Like all sporting bodies, we are hopeful that we will be able to welcome fans back to our arenas in the not too distant future, and I’m sure both players and fans alike are looking forward to experiencing the unique atmosphere of Premier League darts once again.
“To have a full 17-night schedule confirmed for 2022 is testament to the continued co-operation and commitment from all 17 venues and our partners.”
The host cities for the Thursday night stages between February and May 2022 (in order) are Cardiff, Liverpool, Belfast, Berlin, Exeter, Brighton, Nottingham, Rotterdam, Birmingham (12-player field reduced with elimination of bottom-two players after this stage), Leeds, Manchester, Aberdeen, Dublin, Glasgow, Sheffield and London, with the closing play-offs taking place in Newcastle.
Tickets for the 2022 Premier League are expected to go on sale later in 2021, with details to be confirmed at pdc.tv/tickets
Fans who booked tickets for 2021 dates which are not being staged will have their booking automatically transferred to 2022 or can obtain a refund from the box office where they bought their tickets.
Meanwhile, the PDC have confirmed at least the first nine rounds of the 2021 Premier League will take place behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
Ten players will face off across nine nights from April 5-9 and 19-22 before the field is reduced to eight.
A further seven Premier League rounds involving these players, then play-offs, including two semi-finals and a final, will be held to determine the 2021 Premier League champion. A decision on the dates and venue/s for the second stage of the competition has still to be made.
PDC chairman Barry Hearn said they would “continue to work with venue partners to be able to stage the second half of the season with live crowds if possible”.
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