Championship League Darts

Championship League
Tournament information
Venue Crondon Park GC
Location Stock, Essex
Country England
Established 2008
Organisation(s) PDC
Format Legs
Prize fund £189,000 (2009)
Month(s) Played September/October
Final Year 2013
Final champion(s)
England Phil Taylor

Championship League was a PDC darts tournament that used a league and legs format similar to the Premier League but offered the top players outside the top 8 in the PDC Order of Merit a chance to compete for the championship. It was the first ever darts tournament to be solely broadcast on and funded by Internet distribution.[1]

The tournament was first announced on the official PDC website in mid-April under the name 'Championship of Darts'.[1] It took place throughout September and October and featured a field of 29 players. The inaugural championship – the 2008 Championship League Darts – was held at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex and featured a prize fund of £189,000 and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts for the winner.[2] Phil Taylor won the inaugural championship.[3]

The final tournament was held in 2013.[4]

Internet coverage

As there were no spectators in the playing room, coverage was exclusive to the Internet. The choice to broadcast the tournament over the Internet had been partly inspired by the Championship League snooker event and was also a successor to the live streaming of certain matches from the Blue Square UK Open regional finals from the PDC Pro Tour. The streaming was aided by the company Perform, a digital sports agency.[1] Live streaming of every game was available on several sports betting websites, and was available internationally except in the United States of America where, for legal reasons, the Championship couldn't be shown.[2]

Final results

Year Champion Score Runner-up Prize money Venue
Total Champion Runner-up
2008 England Phil Taylor 7–5 England Mervyn King £189,000 £10,000 £5,000 Crondon Park GC, Essex
2009 England Colin Osborne 6–4 England Phil Taylor £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2010 England James Wade 6–5 England Phil Taylor £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2011 England Phil Taylor 6–1 Australia Paul Nicholson £189,000 £10,000 £5,000
2012 England Phil Taylor 6–4 Australia Simon Whitlock £176,750 £10,000 £5,000
2013 England Phil Taylor 6–3 Netherlands Michael van Gerwen £200,000 £10,000 £5,000

Finalists

Player Won Runner-up Finals
England Phil Taylor426
England Colin Osborne101
England James Wade101
Netherlands Michael van Gerwen011
England Mervyn King011
Australia Paul Nicholson011
Australia Simon Whitlock011

References

  1. 1 2 3 PDC Website report – PDC Launch Championship of Darts Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 22-08-2008
  2. 1 2 PDC Website report – Championship League Darts Information & Groups Archived August 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 22-08-2008
  3. ↑ PDC website report – Taylor Wins Championship League Darts Archived October 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 28-10-2008
  4. ↑ - 2014 PDC calendar unveiled from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 13-11-2014
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