There were work teams of Wolverhampton Council and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) at Aldersley Stadium have been working hard to prepare the arena for eight days of play.

The Aldersley Sports Hall has become the home of the PDC Grand Slam of Darts since the tournament moved there in 2018 and has become a favorite among players for the noise and atmosphere generated in the arenas. tables and seats.

Ahead of Saturday’s first session, which begins at 1 p.m., crews were busy finalizing the stage, lighting and television cameras, as well as setting up tables and benches for the arena floor.

It will see more than 20,000 people come to Aldersley during the week to watch the tournament, with many of the sessions already sold out, even as capacity has been expanded to 1,800 people, and only a few tickets available for some of the weekly mid-sessions. .

PDC chief executive Matt Porter said he was excited about the tournament, describing it as one the PDC had always looked forward to.

He said: “We are delighted to be back in Wolverhampton and the Grand Slam of Darts is always one of the highlights of the year.

“It is encouraging to see fans arriving in record numbers at WV Active Aldersley.

“We have had great support from Wolverhampton City Council and have worked with the venue to increase capacity this year, and we are excited about one of our annual highlights.

“The 32-player field is full of great talent and, as we have seen at recent events, there are now many players competing for big titles.”

Defending champion and current world champion Luke Humphries also said he was excited about the tournament and had fond memories of the venue.

He said: “I have great memories of playing on this stage. “I always enjoy playing in the Grand Slam and now I really want to do it.”

Tickets are still available for several of the sessions and can be purchased at the PDC ticket website.