Darts star slams Premier League format and names two ways it can be improved
A darts star has slammed the current PDC Premier League format as well as suggested two changes.
Night 16 of the 2025 Premier League will take place in Sheffield on Thursday May 22.
Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen will compete for BetMGM Premier League Play-Off qualification as they look to join Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price in the season-ending Play-Offs.
Currently, Humphries and Littler have faced off on seven occasions during this year’s edition of the Premier League, and Australian darts star Damon Heta admitted that the repetitive nature of the games has become “too much”.
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Speaking to Sporting Life, Heta said: “But I didn’t watch it. I might have watched a few games last year.
“I think it’s too much. It’s the same people in the match ups and then I’m seeing them every week at darts.
“I’m on the dartboard practicing when they’re playing the thing.
“I mean you are getting those prestigious games but all the time so you’re flooding the good darts.
“The Luke [Littler] vs Luke [Humphries] you’re going to see them twenty plus times a year probably play each other.
“I’m not even sure how many times we have seen a Phil [Taylor] vs MvG [Michael van Gerwen] game.
“It just makes it more prestigious.”
Two proposed changes to Premier League Darts
Heta then made two suggestions for what he'd change to the current format.
He suggested: "I did like the relegation back in the day. I thought it was pretty good.
“Because the first half of the season they are playing to stay in it.
“And then the people probably towards the back end — when you’ve got a long season — if they’re doing bad, you know they’re probably not going to show up or put 100 percent in."
As well as a potential 'B League'.
Heta added: “It’s like, what are they playing for if they are not making the top four?
“I mean for £10,000 — but is that enough for them?”
"Yeah I think that would be alright. Whether the B League plays behind closed doors to get to that stage.
“It gives that person — whoever wins the second league — that chance to prove themselves.
“I’ve done it for 17 weeks and now I’ve won it, then you get the promotion into the Premier League.”
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen
Luke Davies