Mark Webster has confirmed that he will compete at Qualifying School in January if he relinquishes his PDC Tour Card over the coming months.
The former Lakeside world champion currently occupies 64th spot on the PDC Order of Merit, although if he fails to qualify for this year's World Championship he will almost certainly be forced to head to Q School in a bid to remain on the Pro Tour in 2020.
The Welshman's solitary appearance in a major tournament this season saw him reach the third round of the UK Open, while he also missed out on last year's World Championship - the first time he's failed to qualify for the Alexandra Palace showpiece throughout his PDC career.
Download and subscribe
Webster was part of Sky Sports' commentary team during last week's World Grand Prix and in an exclusive interview with the Darts Show podcast, Webster outlined his plans for January once his Pro and European Tour qualifiers come to an end.
"I'm playing better but I've left it too late. I'm probably going to Q School in January," said Webster, whose Pro Tour season came to a close on Tuesday following defeat to Jelle Klaasen and hopes of a place at the World Series were halted by James Richardson on Wednesday.
"I've picked up slightly over the last few months but it's really tough. You don't even feel like you're playing that bad but if you don't win games you don't get prize money and it's hard to keep your ranking. That's the way it's gone for me.
"I've got two more Players Championships, a few qualifiers. If I can pinch a bit of money in the Players Championship and get through a qualifier then who knows, but I'm going to try and play with a bit of relaxation and an eye on Q School to be honest.
"I've got to go. It's the beginning of the year, if you get through great, if you don't then I'll just assess things then," he added.
The two-time World Cup finalist endured a well-documented battle with dartitis for much of his PDC career and his form plummeted in 2014, before he enjoyed a remarkable resurgence with runs to the Grand Prix semi-finals and Grand Slam quarter-finals in 2015.
Nevertheless, although his dartitis woes are behind him, the 36-year-old has failed to register a televised victory since the 2017 Grand Slam of Darts and has not progressed beyond the last 16 of a PDC ranking event since May.
Despite this, the former Premier League star has become a prominent part of Sky Sports' commentary team over recent years and Webster admits he is relishing his growing media commitments.
"I like it [commentary]. Not many people get to do a job they enjoy. I enjoy watching darts, I was a fan - that's how I got into the game.
"It's a nice environment and I get to watch and commentate on darts which I'm a fan of anyway. Obviously I'd prefer to be playing but it's the next best thing."
Several established stars have relinquished their place on the PDC Pro Tour over recent years, including two-time Premier League participant and former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton.
'The Hammer' has competed on the BDO circuit in a bid to regain his best form, whilst Newton has featured on both the BDO circuit and the Challenge Tour, with the pair qualifying for last year's BDO World Championship.
Webster enjoyed a fruitful spell within the BDO system before crossing the darting divide in 2009, although he admits that he wouldn't consider a return if he was unable to regain his tour card.
"If I don't get my card, I've got to be honest I don't envisage myself playing on the Challenge Tour. A few people asked me would I go back to the BDO? I'm not going to do that either.
"Once you've played in the PDC and played on the Pro Tour - we're quite spoilt, so to backtrack from that I'd find quite difficult so I'd probably look towards the media side if I didn't get my tour card but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
"I've kept my trade as a plumber as well so there's that to fall back on so I've got plans. In the worst-case scenario I spend more time with my family if I didn't play so it's a win-win in a way."