Posted on

PDC to expand Women’s Series to 24 events in 2023; Women’s World Matchplay will be staged again

PDC to expand Women's Series to 24 events in 2023; Women's World Matchplay will be staged again

Prize money of 145,000 on offer during expanded Women’s Series in 2023; Women’s World Matchplay will be staged again next year; inaugural Women’s World Matchplay live on Sky Sports Action from 1pm on Sunday, with Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton among the players involved

Last Updated: 23/07/22 9:12am

Fallon Sherrock is one of the eight players participating in the inaugural Women's World Matchplay in Blackpool on Sunday

Fallon Sherrock is one of the eight players participating in the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool on Sunday

The Professional Darts Corporation has announced that its Women’s Series will expand to 24 events for the 2023 season with £145,000 in prize money to be offered in total.

The eight-player Women’s World Matchplay – which is being staged for the first time this Sunday in Blackpool, live on Sky Sports from 1pm – will return in 2023.

Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton are among the players competing at the first Women’s World Matchplay.

Qualification for that event next year will come from a 12-month Order of Merit commencing from the Women’s Series events in August 2022.

Laura Turner has the lowdown on the players who will be battling it out at the inaugural Women's World Matchplay on Sunday, live on Sky Sports

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Laura Turner has the lowdown on the players who will be battling it out at the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay on Sunday, live on Sky Sports

Laura Turner has the lowdown on the players who will be battling it out at the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay on Sunday, live on Sky Sports

Live Women’s World Matchplay Darts

July 24, 2022, 1:00pm

Live on

The Order of Merit will include eight tournaments across the remaining two Women’s Series weekends of 2022 as well as an expected 12 events in the first half of 2023.

Twenty-four Women’s Series events will be held across six weekends next year. Each tournament is worth £5,000 in prize money.

PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: “We’ve been hugely encouraged by the increased interest in the PDC Women’s Series this year, with entries up by 50 percent to 100 on average, and there’s a lot of excitement ahead of the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay on Sunday.

“The Women’s World Matchplay will feature a great mix of experienced players and emerging faces, and it’s going to be fascinating to see them on stage at the Winter Gardens challenging for that title.

“With players also competing in the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts and Cazoo World Championship, the opportunities for women within the PDC have never been greater and it’s a boost that we can continue to grow this aspect of the sport in 2023.”

Sherrock (left) plays Katie Sheldon in this Sunday's quarter-finals, with Lisa Ashton (right) to open up against Chloe O'Brien

Sherrock (left) plays Katie Sheldon in this Sunday’s quarter-finals, with Lisa Ashton (right) to open up against Chloe O’Brien

The Women’s Series will continue with events 13-16 in Hildesheim, Germany on August 27-28 ahead of the year’s final weekend in Wigan on October 29-30 with events 17-20.

2022 Women’s World Matchplay
Sunday July 24
Draw Bracket

(1) Lisa Ashton v (8) Chloe O’Brien
(4) Aileen de Graaf v (5) Laura Turner
(2) Fallon Sherrock v (7) Katie Sheldon
(3) Lorraine Winstanley v (6) Rhian Griffiths

Format
Quarter-Finals – Best of seven legs
Semi-Finals – Best of nine legs
Final – Best of 11 legs

Prize Money
Winner: £10,000
Runner-Up: £5,000
Semi-Finalists: £2,500
Quarter-Finalists: £1,250
Total: £25,000

Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. Watch the inaugural Women’s World Matchplay live on Sky Sports Action from 1pm on Sunday.

Posted on

UEFA apologises to fans for UCL final chaos

UEFA apologises to fans for UCL final chaos

UEFA have issued an apology to the fans who were affected by the events surrounding the Champions League final after ticket fraud and crowd trouble marred the showpiece event at the Stade de France in Paris.

The match was delayed by more than 30 minutes after officers forcefully held back people trying to enter the Stade de France while riot police had also sprayed tear gas on fans, including women and children.

– Notebook: Fans not to blame for UCL final fiasco
Macron ‘sad and sorry’ after UCL final chaos

“UEFA wishes to sincerely apologise to all spectators who had to experience or witness frightening and distressing events in the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final… on a night which should have been a celebration of European club football,” it said in a statement on Friday.

“No football fan should be put in that situation and it must not happen again.”

Much of the blame was placed on Liverpool fans by France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin but he acknowledged police were caught off-guard by several hundred local “delinquents” who turned up to cause trouble.

Europe’s soccer governing body had commissioned an independent report earlier this week.

On Friday they outlined its scope as they look to establish a timeline of events, examine operational plans, assess roles and responsibilities and the response to events inside and outside the stadium.

“The Review will engage with UEFA and all relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to, fan groups… the finalist clubs themselves, general spectators, the French Football Federation, the police and other public national and local authorities, and the stadium operator,” it added.

Also on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron told local media that ticket holders who were blocked from entering the Stade de France by security personnel must be reimbursed “as fast as possible.”

“I have a thought for the families who have been pushed around, who have not been able to access the seats they had paid for. This is why I hope that we can compensate them as soon as possible,” Macron said in the interview.

“I have asked the government to clarify what happened, to determine the responsibilities and to explain them in detail to our compatriots, the British and the Spanish.”

Real Madrid had demanded answers from organisers over measures taken to protect supporters while Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan had reiterated a call for an investigation, saying they had written to UEFA and raised specific questions.

Real Madrid won Saturday’s final 1-0 to win a record-extending 14th European Cup.