Gerwyn Price in telling PDC schedule confession over top darts stars as Iceman sees both sides

Daily Record

14-05-2025

The Iceman is raring to go for the Premier League night in Aberdeen having opted out of the Pro Tours in Germany
Refreshed Gerwyn Price has warned against fans being short changed with tired or absent stars due to the punishing PDC schedule.
The Iceman is raring to go for Premier League night in Aberdeen having opted out of the Pro Tours in Germany at the start of this week.
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Several big-name stars such as Luke Littler were also absent as they carefully attempt to manage their schedule of events through a gruelling period.
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Price says it's right to take rests to ensure the best chance of peak performance every time he hits the stage, but accepts there may be consequences for fans who occasionally miss out on opportunities to see their heroes and not seeing them fresh and firing.
He explained: 'I definitely think there's way too many events and I understand the PDC have a product that they want to improve and keep expanding. But as far as a player like myself and the likes of Luke Humphries and Luke Littler and the boys that are in the Premier League, the World Series events, in practically everything, it is quite tough.
'They do say that you can manage your schedule and miss tournaments here and there, but if you do miss a tournament and you don't pick up any ranking points if you're not there, then when you do go, you put yourself under that added pressure.
'It is tough and I missed out on Pro Tours this week, I'm going to miss out on a couple of Europeans in Germany. Then it puts me under pressure at the back end of the year, but I'm sure I can back it up.
'I think there's been two or three Europeans now, especially out in Graz in Austria, where I'd say seven out of the top eight in the world didn't even enter, so is it fair to the fans that have bought tickets there?
'We are told that we need to manage our schedule and, if we do miss events like that where people have bought their tickets in advance, then they're not getting to see the players that they support.
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'So it's a part and parcel, we need to turn up and we need to manage our schedule, but the PDC also need to think that it's not just about us, it's about the fans and they need to see the players at their best as well.
'The schedule is quite hectic, do you want players turning up week in, week out, just going through the motions or do you want people turning up at their ultimate best?
'I took this week off, so, hopefully, this week going into the Premier League, I'll perform a lot better. But if I was playing Monday, Tuesday, then travelling up to Aberdeen, am I going to be at my best? Nobody really knows half the time.'
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Price goes into his opening clash with Rob Cross in the P&J Live knowing his place at play-offs at London's O2 is secure as he sits in third spot in the standings with two weeks to go.
He's a genuine title contender and speaking on talkSPORT, he said: 'I just believe that if I play my A game, and I mean my A game, then there's no way I lose and every time I go on stage I expect to bring that out.
'It doesn't happen all the time, but I know for a fact if I play my A game, then I win every time and maybe other players when they play the likes of Luke, not so much Michael [van Gerwen] now because he's off a little bit of form, but the likes of Luke Humphries, they're practically lost before they go on the board and they don't believe that they can win, even if they play their A game, they are hoping maybe for them to have an off day.
"But I know if I perform to my ultimate best, then I win. That's probably the confidence that I have going on stage.'