Luke Littler handed golden ticket into Premier League as darts legend Phil Taylor backs 16-year-old to win tournament
THE PDC are set to hand Luke Littler a Golden Ticket into the Premier League – because they have safeguarding protocols in place.
Naming Littler as one of the eight players in the lucrative invitational event would be reward for his epic run to the Ally Pally final.
Last year’s Prem carried a top prize of £275,000 and is played across multiple cities in the British Isles, Ireland, Holland and Germany over 17 weeks between February and May.
An official announcement will be made on Sky Sports on Thursday afternoon.
PDC officials are confident they have everything in place to look after Littler – who is 17 later this month – off the oche and to ensure he avoids burnout with the scheduling.
Littler said after the quarter-final win over Brendan Dolan that he did not think he would be picked for the “brutal” event given the demands of the Euro Tours and ProTours.
READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER
But making the PDC World Darts Championship finale in such impressive style as well as causing record TV viewing figures means he is unlikely to miss out.
Gerwyn Price, 38, has backed his inclusion, arguing that the Kebab Kid is Box Office and has earned a place.
The Iceman, who was runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in the 2023 final, said: “This young kid is incredible.
“He’s 1,000,000% deserves a spot in the biggest tournament.
Most read in Other Sports
“Premier League is made for this young superstar. Love it.”
Phil Taylor, who won the Prem six times, said: “Luke Littler for the Premier League is a no-brainer – why wouldn’t you pick a lad who is good enough to win it?
“It’s an invitational tournament where the top four in the rankings are handed their places on merit and the other four are picked by the PDC and Sky Sports based on what they bring to the party.
“The whole world is talking about this kid, so why would Sky turn up their noses at a sure-fire ratings winner?
“Just imagine the opening Premier League night in Cardiff next month, Gerwyn Price against Luke Littler – a lot of people would pay good money to see that, and you can count me among them.
“There are probably people who think it’s too early to throw him into a 17-week competition with all the travel and hotels.
“Really? I think he’d love it. All the travel won’t bother him because he’s so young, and playing in front of big crowds every week will be right up his street.”