Grand Slam of Darts: Work underway to turn Wolverhampton sports hall into darting arena

A sports hall is set to become an arena for darts as crews put in the final touches.

The hall at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton has undergone its annual transformation into the arena for the Grand Slam of Darts, which begins on Saturday, November 14 and runs until Sunday, November 22.

Crews from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) were hard at work putting up the stage, backdrop and lights around the dartboard, as well as setting up the camera equipment, players walkway and tables through the hall.

Behind the tiered seating, at the entranceway, the bar area was also being set up, with a queueing system in place and plenty of bars to order from, as well as the shop, full of players shirts, Bullseye memorabilia and other darts souvenirs.

It’s an event which brings thousands of people to the arena every year, with more than 2,000 people at each session and nearly all sessions selling out across the tournament.

PDC chief executive Matt Porter said the event had grown since Wolverhampton was picked as the host city in 2007 and said the city was synonymous with the Grand Slam in the same way that the World Matchplay was with Blackpool.

He also said that the worldwide TV exposure was a real benefit for the city, as well as the large crowds who went to the event and added to the local economy.

He said: "The local crowd are really good and it's a strong darts region, but people are coming from further afield now as well, which is great, and from a TV perspective, there's coverage all around the world, so it showcase Wolverhampton.

"I think it's also really good for the local economy as people are coming and spending money in the city, staying over, going into the local bars and restaurants and that's something which brings added value to the city as well as to us.

"It has grown hugely as, in the early days, Monday to Wednesday was always quite quiet, but now people recognise the opportunity to see world class players at a reasonable price and they snap up the tickets, even if they've got work the next day.

"The event is strong here and this is a venue I know the city have got big plans for and want to take it beyond its leisure centre days and have it as more of a fully operating arena, which I think would be great for the profile of the city."