The 2024 World Matchplay champion will walk away with a whopping £200,000 and the prestigious Phil Taylor Trophy. This is a stark contrast to the inaugural PDC Matchplay held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens three decades ago, where victor Larry Butler received a mere £10,000 from a total prize fund of £42,400.
According to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, this would equate to just £20,000 in today’s currency. This highlights the remarkable evolution of darts since the contentious mid-1990s. The Matchplay was introduced following a split that led to many top players leaving the BDO to establish the WDC, which later became the PDC.
While time has proven this decision to be correct, it was a significant risk at the time as the sport was not flush with money. In fact, the World Championship prize money actually decreased between 1994 and 1995 as the PDC fought for recognition and commercial contracts.
However, the Matchplay did not experience this dip, although it took some time for the prize fund to increase. It didn’t reach £100,000 until 2004 when the winner, Taylor, took home just £20,000, reports the Mirror.
Interestingly, Taylor made more money from hitting a nine-darter, earning a cool £100,000 for achieving a perfect leg at the 2002 Matchplay.
The PDC, under the leadership of Barry Hearn, has seen its prize fund soar. By 2009, the pot had ballooned to £400,000, with the champion pocketing £100,000.
Fast forward to 2022, and the stakes were even higher, with a whopping £800,000 on the line, and darts maestro Michael van Gerwen walking away with a cool £200,000, leaving his rival Gerwyn Price to lick his wounds with a £100,000 consolation prize.
In a thrilling showdown in Blackpool, Van Gerwen and Luke Humphries are set to clash in the final after dispatching their semi-final opponents. Van Gerwen emerged victorious from a nail-biting contest against Michael Smith, securing a 17-13 win to reach his fifth World Matchplay final.
Meanwhile, Humphries defeated James Wade 17-10, marking his debut in the Winter Gardens finale.
“I will have to be better in the final but I’m there and that’s all that matters,” Van Gerwen admitted. “I know what I’m capable of. Mentally, I make it too hard for myself sometimes. Luke is a great player and he has been doing really well lately so I need to put him in his place tomorrow.”
