History of Unibet Premier League
Darts grew rapidly in popularity since its inception as a sport. It first aired on television in the 1930s to a small audience. Many countries recognized its official rules quickly and organizations were formed around the game by the 1970s.
Phil 'The Power' Taylor dominated the event during his time on the circuit. He won six of the thirteen tournaments he played in. Taylor was unbeaten for three seasons. However, James Wade interrupted Taylor’s 44-match unbeaten streak in the 2008 season’s kick-off match.
In the 2009 tournament, Mervyn King won against Taylor in the semi-finals. Wade would go on to win 13-8 in the final. He received the prize ward of £125,000 ($163,871). The following year, 2010, Taylor earned his fifth championship in the competition. He won against Wade to become the only player to achieve the fete. Taylor is the only player in the final to have two nine-dart finishes.
Era of dominance
Although The Unibet Premier League has had six overall winners, Taylor and van Gerwen have dominated the league stage. For the first eight seasons, Taylor topped the table. Then van Gerwen took over for the next seven league editions. In 2020, there was a new player to finish first in the league.
Glen Durrant became the third player to finish first after the league games. Glen would later go all the way to win the prestigious Darts title. In the history of Premier League darts, all the winners of the league editions eventually win the playoffs with their first attempt.
The prize budget has slowly increased each year, reaching £1,000,000 ($1,310,968) in 2022. It started at £265,000 ($334,296.) in the early years of the competition. The prize money is currently £275,000 ($360,516)
