This weekend’s PDC Women’s Series will break new ground for the sport as the battle for the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay Qualifier concludes in Barnsley.
As well as the action at the oche, with £20,000 in prize money up for grabs across four tournaments, the third weekend of this year’s PDC Women’s Series will feature for the first time a majority female production crew for PDCTV streaming coverage.
The worldwide coverage of events 9-12 from 25.-26. June, operated by Loop Productions, will also see Abigail Davies make her debut as a PDC commentator at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Loop Productions enjoys a long association with the PDC, particularly in the production of live streaming for PDC Players Championship events, and this weekend will offer another milestone in their coverage.
“I think it’s a great achievement not only to have a female commentator, but also to have a mostly female production crew.” said Rachel Jones, who will produce this weekend’s action in Barnsley.
“In recent years, female presence in sport has been so prominent on screen and this is a great opportunity to show young girls that there is more to sport than just presenting.
“Representation within women’s darts is growing and I think this is another step forward in the growth of not just the production and representation of women’s darts but the production of all darts events.”
In any case, this will be a crucial weekend in the Women’s Series with qualifying spots up for grabs for next month’s first Betfred Women’s World Matchplay.
The new £25,000 tournament will be the first fully televised women’s tournament hosted by the PDC as investment in the development of the sport continues.
The eight-player event pits the game’s leading female stars against each other in a knockout format at the legendary Winter Gardens in Blackpool on the afternoon of Sunday 24 July, with a top prize of £10,000 on offer.
The top eight players in the PDC Women’s Series Order of Merit after this weekend’s events qualify for next month’s spectacle, with a Grand Slam of Darts spot for the eventual champion also at stake.
Former PDC Tour Card holder Lisa Ashton will be paying her respects to Blackpool after winning five of the opening eight events, while historian Fallon Sherrock will also headline at the Winter Gardens.
Ten-time Lakeside Champion Trina Gulliver is among the provisional qualifiers for this year’s inaugural event, while former PDC World Championship qualifier Mikuru Suzuki is currently among the players outside of the qualifying spots.
This weekend’s PDC Women’s Series action is streamed through PDCTV with coverage of each event on June 25-26 from about 1015 BST.
Click here to buy Betfred Women’s World Matchplay tickets.
