Barry Hearn immediately resigned Tuesday as president of Matchroom Sport, the organization that includes the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). His son Eddie took over the position and became the new head of PDC.
Hearn assumed the presidency of the PDC in 2001 and under his leadership the PDC has grown to become the leading association in darts. The sport continued to globalize, with World Series championships in the United States, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. Regional tours have also now been organized in North America, Asia and Oceania, where local players can win a place in the World Darts Championship.
The prize pool at the World Arrows Championship in 2001 was £ 125,000, and the winner received £ 33,000. Over the past 20 years, the prize pool has grown to a staggering £ 2,500,000, with the winner now taking home half a million pounds.
Hearn’s influence extended even further, as the British businessman also headed the snooker, golf and boxing federations. Additionally, he was the president of English football club Leyton Orient. At the beginning of this year, Hearn was awarded the prestigious award (OBE title) for his services to British sport. This decoration is identical to the royal decoration “Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau” in the Netherlands.
“I’ve had many wonderful experiences in my time across the range of our events, from the days of snooker in the 1980s to record-breaking boxing shows and the incredible growth of professional arrows. We have created opportunities for thousands of athletes at that time.”, Hearn looks back at his tenure.
I was determined to stay on top until the coronavirus pandemic was over. Now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I think now is the time to hand over control of the Matchroom Sport to my son Eddie. He will receive support from the wonderful teams we have assembled in all of our activities.
“Now is the time to give all Match Room employees the opportunity to take this great British company to the next level and beyond,” said Hearn, who will remain a consultant to the organization.
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