Announcements

ST HELENS arrows ace Michael Smith has been included in the 2020 Unibet Premier League field.

Smith, from Clock Face, was runner-up in the 2018 tournament.

Nathan Aspinall and Glen Durrant are the new additions to the Unibet Premier League line-up in 2020, while Fallon Sherrock and John Henderson have been confirmed as the first two Challengers.

Nine of the sport's biggest stars will compete in the 16-week tour of arenas across Europe from February 6-May 21 2020, with a different Challenger to star in each of the first nine weeks of action.

Aspinall has soared to fame over the past 12 months, with back-to-back World Championship semi-final appearances sandwiching his maiden televised titles at the UK Open and US Darts Masters.

The 28-year-old has moved up to eighth on the PDC Order of Merit, and his status amongst the sport's elite is now further cemented with his selection to compete in the league phase for the first time.

Durrant, meanwhile, enjoyed a superb maiden year on the PDC circuit in 2019, reaching three televised semi-finals and the World Championship quarter-finals.

Like Aspinall, the three-time Lakeside Champion made his Premier League debut as a Contender in the 2019 tournament and has now progressed to compete on a full-time basis this year.

Newly-crowned World Champion Peter Wright and reigning Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen are joined as automatic selections by Grand Slam of Darts champion Gerwyn Price and World Matchplay and European Championship winner Rob Cross.

Two-time Premier League champion Gary Anderson is among the invited players, 2019 semi-finalist Daryl Gurney, Aspinall and Durrant.

The tournament, which begins at P&J Live in Aberdeen on Thursday February 6, will feature nine Challengers over the opening nine league nights, with the ninth-placed player in the league table following Judgement Night eliminated.

Scottish crowd favourite Henderson will be the Challenger in Aberdeen on the opening night, having enjoyed an unforgettable night in 'The Granite City' in 2019 when he drew with Van Gerwen.

Sherrock, meanwhile, will follow up her history-making run at the World Championship and her inclusion in the 2020 World Series of Darts with an appearance at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Thursday February 13.

2020 Unibet Premier League Field

Michael van Gerwen

Peter Wright

Gerwyn Price

Rob Cross

Michael Smith

Gary Anderson

Daryl Gurney

Nathan Aspinall

Glen Durrant

Challengers

Aberdeen – John Henderson

Nottingham – Fallon Sherrock

Tickets for all 16 venues are now on sale via their relevant Box Office:

Night One, Thursday February 6

P&J Live, Aberdeen

Tickets: ticketmaster.co.uk

Night Two, Thursday February 13

Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

Tickets: motorpointarenanottingham.com

Night Three, Thursday February 20

Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

Tickets: motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

Night Four, Thursday February 27

3Arena, Dublin

Tickets: ticketmaster.ie

Night Five, Thursday March 5

Westpoint Exeter

Tickets: ticketzone.co.uk

Night Six, Thursday March 12

M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

Tickets: mandsbankarena.com

Night Seven, Thursday March 19

Utilita Arena, Newcastle

Tickets: ticketmaster.co.uk

Night Eight, Wednesday March 25

Rotterdam Ahoy

Tickets: ticketmaster.nl

Judgement Night, Thursday March 26

Rotterdam Ahoy

Tickets: ticketmaster.nl

Night Ten, Thursday April 2

SSE Arena, Belfast

Tickets: ticketmaster.ie

Night 11, Thursday April 9

FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield

Tickets: flydsaarena.co.uk

Night 12, Thursday April 16

The Manchester Arena

Tickets: ticketmaster.co.uk

Night 13, Thursday April 23

Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin

Tickets: mercedes-benz-arena-berlin.de

Night 14, Thursday April 30

Arena Birmingham

Tickets: theticketfactory.com

Night 15, Thursday May 7

The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Tickets: ticketmaster.co.uk

Night 16, Thursday May 14

First Direct Arena, Leeds

Tickets: firstdirectarena.com

Play-Offs, Thursday May 21

The O2, London

Tickets: theo2.co.uk