BRADFORD darts ace Joe Cullen has come under fire in some quarters this week, after openly criticising the make up of the PDC Pro Tour.
In an interview with Online Darts TV, he bemoaned how six of the 30 Players Championship events each year are held in Hildesheim, Germany.
He insisted that is too many and that there is no point, given the rest are held in the UK and that these events are not played in front of crowd.
Conversely, he was full of praise for the European Tour part of the Pro Tour, and insisted he loves getting to play in Germany and other countries in those tournaments, as they are played in front of passionate, often partisan, supporters.
11 weekends/weekdays in the UK 🇬🇧
— J O E C U L L E N (@rockstar_13_) April 23, 2024
16 weekends/weekdays in Europe 🇪🇺
Germany is a huge market and an amazing place to play darts(with a crowd) but if you listen to what I actually said - I said I can’t see the value in having pro tours there as there’s no ticket sales?!?! https://t.co/7DWuvbHrMC
The main gripe from fans over Cullen’s comments seemed to be the fact that top darts players from mainland Europe constantly have to make the journey over to the UK for events, far more than the other way around.
But he shot back, insisting that the UK is the home of the Professional Darts Corporation, so there should be more events there, and that he would have no complaints about the vast majority of events being in Australia if he joined the Australian Tour.
They know what they’re signing up for Harvey! If I joined the Australian tour , I couldn’t moan if there was no events in the uk could I? https://t.co/khNJ8qn7aC
— J O E C U L L E N (@rockstar_13_) April 23, 2024
That being said, the PDC’s Pro Tour is not marketed as ‘British’ per se.
Either way, Cullen insisted he was entitled to his opinion and remained firm on his stance, but also said he has no issue with people disagreeing with his viewpoint.
Jokingly, he added he was looking forward to the Pro Tour events in Hildesheim next month, which will be played on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7.
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