City of Wolverhampton Council's Aldersley Leisure Village played host to a record breaking night of bwin Grand Slam of Darts on Saturday.

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The PDC tournament, first staged in 2007, has been switched to the new venue while its historic Civic Halls home undergoes a major £38 million full restoration.

Saturday evening saw the biggest ever audience for a session as more than 1,700 watched the best darts players in the world in action - surpassing the Civic Halls' 1,200.

The council has also teamed up with National Express to run a specially numbered 180 shuttle bus return service to Aldersley Leisure Village from Wulfruna Street - a short walk from the Civic Halls.

Hundreds of fans used the £2 return service, which is running throughout the 9 day tournament, up to and including Sunday 18 November.

Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: "It is fantastic to kick off the 12th year of the Grand Slam of Darts in our city with a record breaking crowd in front of the live TV cameras broadcasting the event across the world.

"The customer feedback from the fans has so far been great, with people enjoying the bigger venue, the atmosphere and enjoying what our city has to offer."

PDC Chief Executive, Matthew Porter, added: "The positive feedback on the new venue has surpassed our expectations - the fans are enjoying it.

"We've worked hard with City of Wolverhampton Council in the build up to the tournament and it's been a great start.

"It was superb to see so many fans enjoying the action across the opening days, where they were treated to some outstanding darts, and the action on stage will only intensify as players battle for this title."

The record crowds at the Aldersley Leisure Village accompanies greater worldwide exposure than ever before for the event, with over 130 countries across every continent broadcasting the bwin Grand Slam of Darts.

For full details on the bwin Grand Slam of Darts and to purchase tickets head to Type=links;Linkid=1949;Title=Wolves Civic;Target=_blank;.

Tickets are also available from Wolves Civic Box Office, by calling 0870 320 7000, or in person from the box office located at Wolverhampton Art Gallery in Lichfield Street, WV1 1DU.

Disabled Access Tickets are available by calling 01902 55 0969.

Tickets are limited to 6 per person per session for Table Tickets. Under 14s are required to be accompanied by an adult. Tiered Seat Tickets will not go on sale until Table Tickets have sold out.

Tickets may be subject to a booking fee and/or service charge and are sold subject to standard PDC Terms & Conditions available at Type=links;Linkid=8276;Title=PDC Tickets;Target=_blank;.

  • released: Monday 12 November, 2018