TICKET SALES CONTINUE APACE FOR McCOY^S PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS

OVER 80 percent of tickets for the McCoy^s Premier League Darts have now been sold - with 70,000 tickets snapped up a month ahead of the tournament^s start at the Manchester Arena.

The eight-player, £450,000 event sees stars including 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor, reigning World Champion Adrian Lewis and current Premier League Darts champion Gary Anderson battling across 15 weeks for the prestigious £150,000 title.

The trio are joined by reigning UK Open champion James Wade, World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton, Players Championship winner Kevin Painter, Australian star Simon Whitlock and Holland^s five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in the McCoy^s Premier League Darts.

The tournament kicks off on Thursday February 9 at the Manchester Arena, and will progress on a tour of the UK & Ireland for the next 14 weeks as the players compete twice in the league phase before the top four contest the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on May 17.

Following the opening night in Manchester, which is on course for a record crowd for the event at the venue, the players proceed to Aberdeen for week two, with all tickets for the AECC already sold out.

Play then crosses the Irish Sea to Belfast, before returning to England to be played at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter and The Brighton Centre on the first two Thursdays in March.

The McCoy^s Premier League Darts will visit Dublin for the first time on Thursday March 22 to be held at The O2 as the league phase reaches its halfway point.

The Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff will host the eighth league night - with all tickets for the Welsh leg of the event already snapped up - before Nottingham^s Capital FM Arena, Sheffield^s Motorpoint Arena and the BIC in Bournemouth host further league nights.

The Echo Arena in Liverpool, Birmingham^s NIA and the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle will stage the remaining league nights, before the top four players head to The O2 in London on Thursday May 17 to contest the Play-Offs.

"Following the hugely successful Ladbrokes World Championship and last week^s announcement of the eight competing players there has been another surge in interest in the McCoy^s Premier League Darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

"The tournament is already set to welcome more fans than ever as we embark on our 15 nights across the UK and Ireland, and the interest from fans at all venues has been phenomenal, with over 70,000 tickets now bought for the event.

"The arenas in Cardiff and Aberdeen have already sold-out but we^re delighted with the response from fans in Ireland, who are guaranteed to make our first visit to The O2 in Dublin a memorable one.

"The McCoy^s Premier League Darts promises to be the best-ever, with the line-up of players featuring the biggest names in darts, our in-form players and stars looking to join the elite group to have lifted this trophy."

Tickets for the 2012 Premier League Darts cost £35 for floor table seats and £20 for tiered seating plus booking fee (€40/€25 plus booking fee in Dublin), and are still available from each individual venues^ Box Office.

McCoy^s Premier League Darts