Vincent van der Voort has put a sharp edge on one of the more awkward questions around the PDC calendar: what happens if fans keep buying European Tour tickets and the biggest names keep choosing not to turn up?
The former professional, speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast and quoted by DartsNews.com, criticised the way PDC chief executive Matt Porter has addressed the debate over elite players managing their schedules. It is not a new rule change, nor a formal row with the PDC, but it is a live argument that cuts straight to the paying fan.
Van der Voort questions the message
The flashpoint follows Porter’s comments to Oche180, where he said he was “not really” concerned by leading players skipping some events and argued that top names have to manage increasingly busy diaries. Porter also suggested the end of the Premier League campaign could improve attendance on the European Tour in the second half of the season.
Van der Voort clearly sees the issue differently. His warning was direct: “If the top players keep withdrawing from Euro Tours, that’s a problem.”
That line will land with plenty of regular ticket-buyers. The European Tour has grown into one of the sport’s best atmospheres, and its strength is not just the stage, the crowd or the ranking money. It is the promise that fans outside the UK can see elite PDC players in proper competition, often at closer quarters than the major televised events allow.
The fan argument is hard to ignore
Van der Voort’s strongest point was not that surprise finalists damage the product. In fact, he was careful to say that players such as Ryan Joyce and Luke Woodhouse deserve full credit when they reach finals on merit. His concern is different: if too many headline names are absent across the weekend, the event can feel thinner before a dart is even thrown.
“People buy tickets to see certain players,” Van der Voort said. That is the sentence the PDC will understand, even if it believes the current picture is manageable.
There is also a fair counterpoint. The modern PDC schedule is heavy. Premier League players face weekly travel, televised pressure, exhibitions, media commitments and ranking events. Porter’s view, in simple terms, is that the top end of the sport has earned some control over where and when it plays. That is not unreasonable. Burnout helps nobody.
But the calendar cannot be judged only from the players’ side. If an event is sold around the PDC brand, fans naturally expect a strong field. When the biggest names are absent too often, even for understandable reasons, frustration is not just predictable. It is rational.
Why the PDC should treat this as a warning
The issue is not yet a crisis. The European Tour remains popular, and the PDC still has a deep enough field to produce excellent darts without every Premier League name present. The official PDC news and tournament schedule will continue to drive interest across the season.
Still, Van der Voort’s criticism should sharpen the conversation. The PDC does not need to force every star into every hall, but it may need clearer expectations around player commitments, communication with ticket-buyers, and how the European Tour is positioned in a packed season.
For more on the wider calendar, see our PDC European Tour coverage. For the player whose schedule is now part of almost every PDC debate, follow our Luke Littler news.