Wednesday 11 November 2020 15:47, UK
The Grand Slam of Darts is staying in Wolverhampton after the PDC confirmed that the Aldersley Leisure Village will fill in for the Civic Hall.
The Grand Slam, a tournament that sees the best of the BDO competing against the PDC's finest, has traditionally been held at the atmospheric Wolverhampton Civic Hall ever since the tournament's introduction in 2007.
However, with the Civic closed for a £38million refurbishment since last year's tournament, won by Michael van Gerwen defeating Peter Wright in the final, discussions between the City of Wolverhampton Council and the PDC have resulted in a new venue.
The PDC confirmed on Tuesday morning that the event, which will again be live on Sky Sports later this year, will stay in the area and the Aldersley Leisure Village will host the tournament from November 10-18.
"The bwin Grand Slam of Darts is synonymous with being held in Wolverhampton, and though the Wolves Civic is currently closed it's great that we can keep the tournament within the city," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"We've received great support from fans in the West Midlands and the City of Wolverhampton Council over the past decade, and I'm sure that the Aldersley Leisure Village will prove a popular new home for the event this year."
Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: "It is great news that we have been able to keep this key event in the city.
"The darts puts the city on map, is watched by millions of people across the globe, attracts thousands of visitors to the city and brings in thousands of pounds.
"Following the announcement about the Civic Halls, many people told us it would be a disaster to lose these events from the city. We have listened, secured their future, and with it further investment.
"We're also engaging with local councillors and residents to ensure the events runs as smoothly as possible and any disruption, mainly traffic related, is kept to an absolute minimum."
There is also a change of venue for the Champions League of Darts with the Brighton Centre taking over from Cardiff for September's weekend event.
Mensur Suljovic is the defending champion and he will be among the elite eight-man field, which will be confirmed at the end of July, when he will be joined by the top seven non-qualified players from the PDC Order of Merit - set to include world No 1 Michael van Gerwen and new World Champion Rob Cross.
The eight-player tournament sees two groups of four facing off across the opening three sessions, with a double session on Saturday September 22 followed by the afternoon session on Sunday September 23.
The top two players from each group then progress to play off for the title on Sunday evening in the semi-finals and final.
The introduction of Berlin to the Premier League schedule in 2018 saw Brighton replaced for that event, but the PDC will now be taking the Champions League to the venue on September 22-23.
Cross, who hails from Sussex, will get the chance to step out on his "home" stage in the 2018 Champions League of Darts, while 2017 World Grand Prix winner Daryl Gurney is also set to make his debut in the event.
They are set to join Suljovic, Van Gerwen and Scottish duo Peter Wright and Gary Anderson, while the world's top eight also currently features Dave Chisnall and Simon Whitlock.
The Grand Slam of Darts will be live on Sky Sports in November but the Premier League continues on Thursday when Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena hosts Night Six. Coverage gets underway from 7pm on Sky Sports Action & Main Event
Keep up to date with the latest darts news, previews, reports, reaction and expert analysis. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts - don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
