The first nine nights of the 2021 Unibet Premier League season will be held behind closed doors in Milton Keynes in April as ten players begin the battle to claim the prestigious title.
The Unibet Premier League traditionally visits the biggest arenas in the UK as well as travelling to Dublin, Rotterdam and Berlin during a 17-night tour across a four-month season.
However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions, the PDC will stage opening phase of this year’s event behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
The first half of the season will see the ten players face each other once across nine nights from April 5-9 and April 19-22, before the bottom two players in the league table are eliminated following Judgement Night.
A further seven league nights will then be held as the remaining eight players bid to claim spots in the Play-Offs, which will see the semi-finals and final held to determine the 2021 champion, with a decision regarding dates and venues to be made in due course.
The PDC are also able to confirm the dates and venues for the 2022 Premier League season, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday February 3 and will retain the 17 venues originally planned for the 2021 season.
The season will begin at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on Thursday February 3, see Judgement Night held at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Thursday March 31 and the Play-Offs held in Newcastle for the first time at the Utilita Arena on Thursday May 26.
Fans who have a ticket booking for any of the previously planned 2020 or 2021 Unibet Premier League nights that are not staged will have this booking automatically transferred to the 2022 event at the same venue (dates below), or they can obtain a refund (or voucher for tickets purchased in Berlin) from the Box Office where they made the purchase.
“With ongoing restrictions in the UK and Europe meaning that starting the 2021 Unibet Premier League season with crowds in April will not be possible, our ten superstars of our sport will begin the tournament behind closed doors,” said PDC chairman Barry Hearn.
“The Unibet Premier League holds a special place in the hearts of darts fans across Europe and we’ll continue to work with our venue partners to be able to stage the second half of the season with live crowds if possible.
“Being able to confirm our 2022 dates will also allow fans with tickets for events which have been postponed to plan their night for next year or make alternative arrangements for their ticket booking.
“With the start of the 2021 Unibet Premier League in sight, we’re still working hard with our sponsors Unibet and host broadcast partner Sky Sports to create a memorable, if unique, season.”
Glen Durrant is the reigning Unibet Premier League champion following his 2020 success, as he topped the league table at the end of his debut campaign before defeating Nathan Aspinall in October’s final.
Former Premier League champions Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson are joined by World Champion Gerwyn Price, World Matchplay winner Dimitri Van den Bergh, Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa, Masters champion Jonny Clayton, reigning European Champion Peter Wright and former Premier League finalists Aspinall and Rob Cross as the other competitors in 2021.
2021 Unibet Premier League
Monday April 5-Friday April 9 – Nights One-Five
Monday April 19-Thursday April 22 – Night Six-Judgement Night
TBC – Nights Ten-16 & Play-Offs
Fixtures for the opening nine nights of the 2021 Unibet Premier League season will be confirmed in due course.
2022 Premier League
Thursday February 3 – Night One, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Thursday February 10 – Night Two, M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Thursday February 17 – Night Three, SSE Arena, Belfast
Thursday February 24 – Night Four, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
Thursday March 3 – Night Five, Westpoint Exeter
Thursday March 10 – Night Six, The Brighton Centre
Thursday March 17 – Night Seven, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
Thursday March 24 – Night Eight, Rotterdam Ahoy
Thursday March 31 – Judgement Night, Utilita Arena Birmingham
Thursday April 7 – Night Ten, First Direct Arena, Leeds
Thursday April 14 – Night 11, AO Arena, Manchester
Thursday April 21 – Night 12, P&J Live, Aberdeen
Thursday April 28 – Night 13, 3Arena, Dublin
Thursday May 5 – Night 14, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Thursday May 12 – Night 15, FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield
Thursday May 19 – Night 16, The O2, London
Thursday May 26 – Play-Offs, Utilita Arena Newcastle
Ticket information for the 2022 Premier League will be confirmed in due course.
Tickets for 2020 or 2021 events which were postponed will be moved to the new date at the same venue in 2022, or will be eligible for a refund from the Box Office where purchased (or a voucher for Berlin tickets).
