JOSH ROCK has demanded a VENUE CHANGE at the Darts World Grand Prix ahead of the final.
The Antrim thrower was dumped out of the tournament by Gerwyn Price on Thursday.
GettyJosh Rock has spoken out about the venue for the World Grand Prix[/caption]
Rock, 24, has competed in the previous two editions but has been left unimpressed by the crowd in Leicester.
The Grand Prix started out in Rochester in 1998 and also featured at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin between 2001 and 2019.
It moved to the 2,200-capacity Mattioli Arena in 2021 after a single year in Coventry.
Rock, however, has now demanded that the PDC make a change in the venue.
The Northern Irishman believes that the event struggled to sell out and that a venue should be chosen that will be filled to the brim.
He told the Metro: “I never experienced it when it was in Dublin, but I think the PDC need to change the venue because they don’t get the fans in Leicester at all.
“It’s meant to be a major.
“So I think maybe they need to find somewhere that they know they’re going to get the fans from Monday all the way to Sunday.
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“That’s my opinion, they need to change the venue.”
The PDC have disputed these claims as more fans have attended this year than in 2024.
The Mattioli was at 70 per cent capacity for the first two nights last year, and this year it reached 90 per cent.
The tournament entrants have been whittled down to Luke Humphries and Luke Littler.
The Nuke breezed past Jonny Clayton 5-1 in the semi-final last night, while Cool Hand beat Danny Noppert 5-3 to set up the showpiece final.
The winner between the two will bag themselves a cool £120,000 while the runner-up will have to settle for £60,000.
World Grand Prix winners
Here are the last ten winners of the tournament…
2015 – Robert Thornton
2016 – Michael van Gerwen
2017 – Daryl Gurney
2018 – Michael van Gerwen
2019 – Michael van Gerwen
2020 – Gerwyn Price
2021 – Jonny Clayton
2022 – Michael van Gerwen
2023 – Luke Humphries
2024 – Mike De Decker
It will be the SIXTH time the two Lukes have met in a major final.
Littler has even issued some fighting words as he claimed he “owes” Humphries.
He said: “I definitely owe him one for the Premier League…
“But Luke’s had a very good record. He’s lost the last two and won one himself.
“But for myself, it’s all new pretty much. Same as last year in the Matchplay I lost the first round and went on to win it.
“Last year here I lost in the first round and now I’m in the final.
“I look forward to it very much. We’re both one and two so if we did win our games, we are going to meet in the final.
“Hopefully I can get the win tomorrow and I’m even more on his back for the No1 spot.”
World Grand Prix Darts – all the info
THE World Grand Prix Darts is BACK this week!
One of the biggest events on the darting calendar is back, as thousands of fans descend on Leicester for a week of action.
The world’s best darts players will be in action, with Mike De Decker ready to defend his crown, while last year’s losing finalist, Luke Humphries, is the No 1 seed.
This is one of the few tournaments where Luke Littler has struggled, the reigning world champion failing to get past the last 32 in either 2024 or 2025.
Here’s everything you need to know about the World Grand Prix!
LIVE – FOLLOW THE WORLD GRAND PRIX AS IT HAPPENS
INFO
Tickets – how much do they cost and how can I buy?
Start time, schedule and results for the week
Rules and format – what is a double start?
How much is the prize money?
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