Introduction to the "other" PDC tours

 

Outside the main Pro Tour, there are three other PDC tours. The Challenge Tour and Development Tour are seen as ‘second tier’ tours, as they filter towards the PDC Tour, while the other tour is the Women’s Series. This is more of a standalone tour but does offer places in the PDC World Championship.

There are a few other tours, such as the Asian and North American Tours, but I will be concentrating on the first three.

 

Challenge Tour

The PDC Challenge Tour was set up in 2014 and acts as a secondary tour to the main PDC Tour.

In order to play on the Challenge Tour, players must play at Q School in January, even if just one event.

If a player does not qualify for the Pro Tour following the conclusion of Q School, they are automatically invited to play in all Challenge Tours for the year.

The Challenge Tour is extremely competitive as players battle to gain a top-two place on the Order of Merit and gain an automatic Tour card for the next season. 

Players who have achieved this include Rob Cross, Ryan Searle, Callan Rydz and Scott Williams, all of whom have progressed towards the top ranks of world darts. 

The Tour also comprises of various ex-world champions and a host of well-known names, as well as emerging talent, which makes for an exciting tour.

The Challenge Tour is made up of 30 events, played in the UK and Germany, and usually has around 200 competitors, although these figures can be quite different at the beginning and end of the season. The first Challenge Tour is always the busiest by far and can have upwards of 300 competitors. 

It is a fantastic learning ground for players as it is so competitive and always sees players from all around the globe compete. Those who qualify directly for the Pro Tour certainly deserve their places. 

 

Development Tour

The PDC Development Tour was founded in 2011 and is seen has a natural stepping stone from the JDC to the Challenge Tour and main tour.

The main criteria for playing on the Development Tour is players must be between 16 and 23. (There are cut off dates for ages).  

Unlike the Challenge Tour, there is no qualification requirement. Anyone within the age range can enter, whether that’s for the whole season (24 tournaments) or just one event.

ProTour players are allowed to enter these events; however, they must not be in the current top 32 in the world.

For example, in 2023, Gian van Veen came first in the Order of Merit, and because of this, he got a Tour Card. He could continue to play again on the Development Tour this year – although, having recently broken into the top 32, we may have seen the last of him on that circuit.

There are also World Championship spots for the top two places, which certainly suited Luke Littler in 2023! There is such a wealth of emerging talent within the Development Tour and it is the likely hunting ground for future PDC pros and major winners.

The Development Tour season culminates in the World Youth Championship. The finalists get to play on TV at the Players Championship Finals in Minehead. The list of previous winners includes the very best in world darts, including Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Dimitri van den Bergh and Litter.

 

Women’s Series

The Women’s Tour began in 2020 and has since grown in numbers and standard. The talent emerging is increasing all the time, and the averages keep climbing. 

Like the Development Tour, the Women’s Series has 24 events over the year, based in the UK and Germany.  The top female players from around the world are present at most events, which makes for an exciting competition.

There are two main aims for the players over the season. Firstly, the top two players on the Order of Merit will receive places at the PDC World Darts Championship.

The other is the Women’s World Matchplay. The top eight players at a cut-off date (normally June), will qualify for this televised competition. This is a major event and offers extra prize money, with Beau Greaves recently picking up £10,000 when she retained her title in Blackpool. It also gives a chance for more players to have more TV and big-stage experience.

As the women’s tour grows, the depth of talent grows too.  There have been some new names that are upsetting the previous big four or five, such as Rhian O’Sullivan, Gemma Hayter and Katie Sheldon, who have all reached at least one final in 2024. 

Also, Paige Pauling – this year’s unbeaten JDC Girls Series champion – began her first Women’s Series campaign with two semi-final appearances. At just 16, she is an exciting prospect within this evermore competitive tour.