So, the race is on…..as it stands at the moment, the top six in the world rankings will get a prized place in the 2007 Holsten Premier League. There is little doubt, this tournament is massive! Next year, eight players will be involved in 14 different venues the length and breadth of the UK, before finals night – probably in London. The prize fund is now £265,000, with £75,000 for the winner, £40,000 for the runner-up and even £15,000 for the man who finishes 8th and last in the group stages….so you can see why there is a mad scramble from the top darting stars to get in the lucrative event. But is it the right format? It is a brilliant event and it is a made-for-television tournament, so why not make it something completely different? A real made-for-TV bonanza….and make it invitation only. It is only a personal opinion and I’m sure it won’t go down well with the likes of Kevin Painter, Andy Jenkins, Dennis Priestley, Wayne Mardle, Adrian Lewis and Roland Scholten, who are all involved in a right royal battle to claim places in the top six before the cut off point, which is the end of October after the SkyBet World Grand Prix in Dublin. Why not have 10 players….they all play each other once and the top four go through to finals night…..why not invite the likes of Jelle Klaasen and Michael Van Gerwen to take part – alongside the likes of Taylor, Lloyd, Part, Barneveld etc. It may be a radical proposal but as they say in politics – it is a discussion document only! Don’t forget there are no ranking points at stake and it would make for spectacular stuff! I know it is too late to move the goalposts for the 2007 Premier League – it is just an idea – however radical it may sound. The darts fans can’t get enough and next year the Premier League is destined for the big arena-type venues every Thursday night live on Sky Sports from February. Pie in the sky? Maybe……Food for thought? Definitely! What do you think…..let me know.
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