The famous Lakeside venue hosted the BDO World Championship from 1986-2019 (credit:Steven Paston/PA Images)

Big-time darts is set to return to Lakeside following the announcement of a new week-long tournament to be held in 2020.

Earlier this month, Lakeside owner Bob Potter OBE revealed his intention to stage a new event at ‘the home of world darts’ following the BDO’s announcement to leave the Frimley Green venue after 33 years.

Now, Live Darts can exclusively reveal details of the proposed new tournament, which is scheduled for Easter 2020 as opposed to the original January dates previously announced.

The January dates were initially given to ensure there would definitely be an event covering that traditional period in the calendar amid the recent uncertainty surrounding the BDO World Championship.

The event will incorporate top players from all bodies and codes worldwide – excluding PDC Tour Card holders, and will be determined based on the existing ranking systems, including both male and female players from the BDO, WDF, PDC Challenge Tour, Development Tour and soft-tip circuit.

The tournament will incorporate a lucrative prize fund of £200,000, with the full breakdown to be confirmed.

The size of the field and format are also yet to be confirmed, though it is believed to be 32 players competing in a format well-known in other sports but less widely used in darts.

The tournament, which is being put together by an independent consortium, aims to remove the politics which have blighted the sport in recent decades and could be part of a wider series of events in the future.

It is understood that negotiations are also currently taking place with major darts brands over a potential partnership and tickets are expected to go on sale before the end of the year.

Further details are likely to be confirmed in due course.

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