VAN GERWEN CALLS FOR RANKING SYSTEM CHANGE
18/04/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL Van Gerwen wants the PDC to implement a points basis system for its Order of Merit following the announcement of the £1million World Championship jackpot.
The PDC Order of Merit is based on prize money earned by players over a rolling two-year period.
Luke Humphries leads the race with £1.9million to his name.
Teen sensation Luke Littler is second, having earned £1.3million since turning professional.
The next world champion will be fighting for a £1million cheque, the richest prize ever in darts, following the new five-year £125million Sky Sports TV deal.
Theoretically someone could lift the Sid Waddell Trophy in January 2026 and take the rest of the year off – and hardly fall out of the top five.
Seven-time Premier League winner Van Gerwen, ranked third in the world, wants oche bosses to look towards tennis where more points are awarded for Grand Slam successes compared to lower-key events.
Van Gerwen said: “If you ask me, the £1million is not too much money – there’s never too much money in darts.
“But if you ask me the question, ‘is it too much for the rankings?’ then I’d say yes.
“It gets the ranking out of perspective. I know it’s Barry Hearn’s little thing, to have a money ranking, and he did good for the sports, but we don’t need it anymore.
“We’re bigger than that. We don’t need to show off anymore.
“I think they should do it on points. That’s my opinion. Maybe they have a good reason why they don’t want to do that.
“We can be proud of the way the PDC did the deal with the prize money.
“In every sport, there’s always something which you disagree with or moan at.
“One million pounds is a dream for everyone, and the only thing you can do is perform. Darts is getting more popular around the world.”
If the next World Championship final goes the distance, the winning dart could be worth £600,000 — the difference between the champion’s prize and the £400,000 awarded to the runner-up.
MVG added: “In my opinion, a second place should never be lower than half of the top prize anyway. In any sport. That’s what I think.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
