2014 Premier League Darts
The 2014 Betway Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation; the tenth edition of the tournament. The event began at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Thursday 6 February, and ended at The O Arena, London on Thursday 22 May. The tournament was shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. The new title sponsor was Betway. Michael van Gerwen was the defending champion and he reached the final this year, but lost 10–6 to Raymond van Barneveld who won his first Premier League title. Players. The competitors  were announced on 1 January 2014 following the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship final, with the top four players from the PDC Order of Merit to be joined by six Wildcards. The tournament format is identical to that of 2013, whereby after nine weeks the bottom two players are relegated. All players play each other once at that point. The remaining eight will then compete against each other in the final six rounds for the play-offs places. Andy Hamilton (world no. 11) and 2009 Premier League Champion James Wade (world no. 6) did not return from last year, Wade there  by missing out for the first time in seven years. PDC chairman Barry Hearn explained the decision was made to give Wade a rest to enable him more time to gain treatment for his health issues, but Wade released a statement the following day, describing the omission as "devastating" as he was "one of the four most consistent players in 2013". Wade also said he didn't ask to be left out and didn't decline an invitation, and that, with regards the reason given by Hearn that he could gain treatment for his bipolar disorder, "no medical professional has  suggested I take a break". Venues. Week seven saw a tournament record attendance with 11,000 fans in Leeds, which was also the only new city introduced on the circuit this year, although Glasgow had a new arena with The SSE Hydro making its debut. Prize money. The prize-money was increased to £550,000 from £520,000 in 2013. Results. League stage. 6 February – Week 1 (Phase 1). Echo Arena, Liverpool 13 February – Week 2 (Phase 1). Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth 20 February – Week 3 (Phase 1). Odyssey Arena, Belfast 27 February – Week 4 (Phase 1). SSE Hydro, Glasgow 6  March – Week 5 (Phase 1). Westpoint Arena, Exeter 13 March – Week 6 (Phase 1). Capital FM Arena, Nottingham 20 March – Week 7 (Phase 1). First Direct Arena, Leeds 27 March – Week 8 (Phase 1). The O, Dublin 3 April – Week 9 (Phase 1). Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff 10 April – Week 10 (Phase 2). Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield 17 April – Week 11 (Phase 2). GE Oil & Gas Arena, Aberdeen 24 April – Week 12 (Phase 2). Phones 4u Arena, Manchester 1 May – Week 13 (Phase 2). National Indoor Arena, Birmingham 8 May – Week 14 (Phase 2). Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne 15 May  – Week 15 (Phase 2). Brighton Centre, Brighton Play-offs – 22 May. The O Arena, London Table and streaks. Table. After the first nine weeks, the bottom two in the table were eliminated from the competition. When players are tied on points, leg difference is used first as a tie-breaker, after that legs won against throw and then tournament average.