EXCLUSIVE: This year’s World Darts Championship gets a makeover as Paddy Power becomes Title Sponsor of Ally Pally… and makes fun of Peter Wright’s hair, Gerwyn Price’s muscles and Michael van Gerwen’s nickname.
- Paddy Power will be the title sponsor of the PDC World Darts Championship
- The Irish bookmaker released a fun video to celebrate their partnership.
- Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen are further involved
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Irish bookmaker Paddy Power will be the title sponsor of this year’s PDC World Darts Championship, which takes place from December 15 to January 3.
News of their partnership comes shortly after the PDC announced that tickets would go on advance sale July 31 and general sale August 2.
To celebrate their exciting new partnership, Paddy Power created a fun video involving Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Michael Smith.
In the parody video, ‘marketing experts’ from Paddy Power’s in-house team try to convince two-time world champion Wright to update his signature look ahead of this year’s tournament.
“You’re getting a little old for weird hair and clown pants,” they tell Peter Wright, 53, a player known for his trademark style and colorful Mohican.
Paddy Power will be the title sponsor of this year’s PDC World Darts Championship.
To celebrate their exciting new partnership, Paddy Power created a fun video involving Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Michael Smith.
Paddy Power then spoke to Price about how changing his name would be extremely beneficial. They said, ‘What about Gerwyn ‘Smart’ Price? We could get you a deal with ASDA!’
Price points out that the major retail chain no longer uses ‘Smart Price’ as a marketing strategy. Therefore, Paddy Power suggests Gerwyn ‘Half’ Price and adds that he should consider reducing his body mass by 50 per cent to complete his new look.
They then turn their attention to three-time world champion Van Gerwen, suggesting he steal the moniker from Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock, but go a step further. They said ‘You could fly onto the stage on a broom!’ as he proudly whips a broomstick next to him.
The next recipient of his scathing criticism is Belgian professional Dimitri Van den Bergh, famous for dancing to his favorite song, Happy by Pharrell Williams. They were like, ‘Wow, that was really something! You look a bit like Neil from The Inbetweeners.
The hilarious clip ended with an interaction with Michael ‘Bullyboy’ Smith. They said he should lean on the fact that he’s a family man and take a Smiths song to get into the Ally Pally.
The clip was posted on Paddy Power’s social media channels following the announcement of their partnership with the PDC World Darts Championship.
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Paddy Power said three-time world champion Van Gerwen, suggesting he steal Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock’s nickname, but improve it a bit.
They also micked Belgian pro Dimitri Van den Bergh for his dancing ability.
The hilarious clip ended with an interaction with Michael ‘Bullyboy’ Smith. They said he should lean into the fact that he’s a family man and take a Smiths song to get in.
Speaking about the new partnership, Paddy Power’s Michelle Spillane said: ‘When PDC approached us about stepping up as new sponsors of the World Darts Championship, we knew we would hit the mark. This tournament is the ultimate example of the collision of sport and entertainment, a combination that naturally appeals to us at Paddy Power.
“To be locked into such an iconic sponsorship as the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace is very exciting for our brand, and we’re looking forward to making our mark… perhaps not directly on professional players!”
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter added: “We are delighted to welcome Paddy Power back to darts as our new title sponsor of the World Darts Championship, a deal they have announced in their typically unique way with the help of some of our biggest stars.
“The World Darts Championship is the flagship event for our sport, and Paddy Power’s involvement will add further excitement to an event that is already the highlight of the festive sporting period.”
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