Championship League Darts

Championship League was a PDC darts tournament that used a league and legs format similar to the Premier League but offered the top players outside the top 8 in the PDC Order of Merit a chance to compete for the championship. It was the first ever darts tournament to be solely broadcast on and funded by Internet distribution.[1]

Not to be confused with Champions League of Darts.
Championship League
Tournament information
VenueCrondon Park GC
LocationStock, Essex
CountryEngland
Established2008
Organisation(s)PDC
FormatLegs
Prize fund£189,000 (2009)
Month(s) PlayedSeptember/October
Final Year2013
Final champion(s)
Phil Taylor

The tournament was first announced on the official PDC website in mid-April under the name 'Championship of Darts'.[1] It took place throughout September and October and featured a field of 29 players. The inaugural championship – the 2008 Championship League Darts – was held at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex and featured a prize fund of £189,000 and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts for the winner.[2] Phil Taylor won the inaugural championship.[3]

The final tournament was held in 2013.[4]

Internet coverage

As there were no spectators in the playing room, coverage was exclusive to the Internet. The choice to broadcast the tournament over the Internet had been partly inspired by the Championship League snooker event and was also a successor to the live streaming of certain matches from the Blue Square UK Open regional finals from the PDC Pro Tour. The streaming was aided by the company Perform, a digital sports agency.[1] Live streaming of every game was available on several sports betting websites, and was available internationally except in the United States of America where, for legal reasons, the Championship could not be shown.[2]

Final results
Year Champion Score Runner-up Prize money Venue
Total Champion Runner-up
2008 Phil Taylor 7–5 Mervyn King £189,000 £10,000 £5,000 Crondon Park GC, Essex
2009 Colin Osborne 6–4 Phil Taylor
2010 James Wade 6–5 Phil Taylor
2011 Phil Taylor 6–1 Paul Nicholson
2012 Phil Taylor 6–4 Simon Whitlock £176,750
2013 Phil Taylor 6–3 Michael van Gerwen £200,000

Finalists
Player Won Runner-up Finals
Phil Taylor426
Colin Osborne101
James Wade101
Michael van Gerwen011
Mervyn King011
Paul Nicholson011
Simon Whitlock011

References
  1. PDC Website report – PDC Launch Championship of Darts Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 22-08-2008
  2. PDC Website report – Championship League Darts Information & Groups Archived August 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 22-08-2008
  3. PDC website report – Taylor Wins Championship League Darts Archived October 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 28-10-2008
  4. – 2014 PDC calendar unveiled Archived 2014-11-17 at the Wayback Machine from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 13-11-2014
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