ONE of the biggest touring shows in world sport is set to hit Wollongong with the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Peter 'Snakebite' Wright and women's sensation Fallon Sherrock to headline the the NSW Darts Masters in August.
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The event will form part of the PDC World Series of Darts, a series of worldwide events that see the sport's biggest names take on regional qualifiers across two days.
The event at the WIN Entertainment Centre will be the first of three events staged in Australia and New Zealand in August with the NZ Darts Masters to be fought out in Hamilton ahead of the Queensland Darts Masters in Townsville.
The sport in Australia has never been stronger, with Perth's Damon Heta having won the Brisbane Darts Masters last year before winning his Tour Card to join established stars Simon Whitlock and Kyle Anderson as professionals on the PDC circuit.
"We've travelled around Australia in recent years with the World Series of Darts and it's exciting for us to be visiting Wollongong and Townsville for the first time in 2020 to take these fantastic events to new audiences," PDC chief executive Matthew Porter said.
"Both are strong sporting areas and this is a great opportunity to see the world's top darts players live in high-profile international tournaments.
"After Damon Heta's amazing achievement winning in Brisbane last year, all eyes will be on the local stars from Australia and New Zealand to see who can grasp their opportunity to claim glory alongside the biggest names in darts."
Bringing the likes of recently crowned world champion Wright and world No. 1 - and three-time world champion - van Gerwen to Wollongong is a huge coup for the region.
Trailblazing Sherrock will be another major attraction having captured world attention when she became the first woman to win a world championship match in December.
It's also a huge opportunity for Australia's best fringe players looking to follow in Heta's footsteps through qualifying on day one of the two-day event.
The Perth roofer became the first non-tour card holder to win a world series event at last year's Brisbane Darts Masters - knocking off world stars James Wade, Gary Anderson and fellow Aussie Whitlock.
Darts has become one of the most sought after spectator experiences in sport, with tickets for the August 14-15 event to go on sale on March 11.
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