The festive season...2
Changers
This year some of the well-known players will miss the PDC World Championship. Most have in common, that they at some time in their career switched from one darts organisation to the other, normally they started in the BDO and later switched to the PDC. It is not uncommon that players switch in between the organisations and most of the time they change from the BDO to the PDC or - after the end of the BDO - from the WDF to the PDC. Some switched back when they had no success - for example Jelle Klaasen, the BDO World Champion from 2006, who switched 2007 to the PDC, took part in his last PDC World Championship in 2020 and then reappeared 2023 in the WDF World Championship.
Only a few players started their career with a PDC World Championship , later qualified for one ora few BDO World Championships and even later for the WDF World Championship as did for example Nick Fullwel, who takes part in tournaments here and there or Dennis Nilsson who first took part in the PDC World Championship 2012, played the BDO World Championship in 2017 and 2018 and was among the participants of the WDF World Championships in 2024 and 2025.
The situation of Paul Lim was somehow different - at the time Lim took part in his first World Championships, the PDC did not even exist. At that time the only organisations were the BDO and the WDF and the World Championships always were organised by the BDO.
In most cases one has to observe that players, whether they won a BDO World Championship or one of the so far three WDF World Championships, will not automatically be successfull in the PDC as well - the standard of the BDO was just never as high as in the PDC and it is seemingly even lower in the WDF. It can be as well that the mindset of the amateurs is different and has an effect too - the pressure to perform to be sure is much higher in the PDC and players might have a problem with this.
It is interesting that only four players managed to win World Champion titles in both the BDO and the PDC - of course leading the way was Phil Taylor, who dominated everything at his best time so that other players, as well those who switched in those years from the BDO to the PDC, might reach the final , but mostly couldn't win it against him. The other players were Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld and John Part - and all three won the title by beating Taylor. Part again won the title in 2008 , a year in which Taylor and a lot of other players were taken ill during the tournament. Priestley won the title 1994 and stood 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000 in the final and every time lost to Taylor. Van Barneveld switched after he had won the BDO World Championship four times. He defeated Taylor 2007 in the final - and one often heard, he only won because Taylor gave him the throw, something he often did when he had won the bull. 2009 the Dutchman reached the final a second time and was destroyed - of course by Taylor.
Actually one can't say Taylor and Priestly switched as they were both founding members of the WDC (World Darts Council) later PDC, which split off the BDO.
Other BDO World Champions and finalists who switched to the PDC were Richie Burnett, Steve Beaton, Ted Hankey, the already mentioned Jelle Klaasen, Mark Webster, Christian Kist, Stephen Bunting, Scott Mitchell, Scott Waites, Glen Durrant, Jim Williams, Danny Noppert, Alan Norris, Dean Winstanley, Dave Chisnall, Simon Whitlock, Mervyn King and Ronnie Baxter. The winner of last years WDF World Championship Andy Baetens and the finalist Chris Landman now play as well in the PDC as does the runner-up from 2022 Thibault Tricole. Tricole and Landman qualified for this year's PDC World Championship, Baetens didn't manage. Shane MCGuirk, the new WDF World Championship, has not yet decided in which organisation he will play.
Of course not only champions and finalists switched and to be sure there were some players who's career only was ignited in the PDC such as Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson - who only reached one semi-final while he played in the BDO - or Vncent van der Voort.
Many of those players are no longer activ out of different reasons - Hankey was banned, Durrant lost his form completely after he had been ill with Covid 19, problems with form and missing success let Dean Winstanley and Alan Norris disappear. Mark Webster prefers to work as an expert now-a-days - he had been in a slump as well. This year Steve Beaton and Simon Whitlock will not take part in the PDC World Championship either. King already missed out last year as did Vincent van der Voort, who one should think is still too young to leave, but he had a lot of health and injury issues.
I will dwell on the last mentioned players during some articles which will accompany the World Championship. But in the centre of the first article Paul Lim will stand, who won - due to his performances during the WDF World Championships - the hearts of the fans once again.
Pictures with kind allowance of the PDC