Michael van Gerwen and Vincent van der Voort have united in criticism of the packed darts calendar, revealing that playing every tournament would mean spending around 280 days away from home each year. In an extensive interview with Online Darts, Van der Voort said: "I was sitting with Michael last year and we said, if you want to play every tournament, you're going to be away from home 280 days or something. So it's ridiculous."
Van der Voort believes Van Gerwen can still return to his absolute best, but acknowledges the darts landscape has changed considerably. Asked whether Van Gerwen could reach the level of his 2015 and 2016 peak, Van der Voort said: "That is really difficult to say. I would say yes, but I'm also his friend. So now I would, I think he can, but it changed because back then he knew. And when he was at his best, he knew he was going to win." He added: "Now we've got, with Luke Littler, somebody who's at his best, similar to him, maybe a little bit better. We don't know. So then there's a different mindset as well. If you go into a tournament and you know, 'If I'm playing well, I'm going to win,' or you go into the tournament and you're still in doubt, 'Am I the best player?'"
Despite the challenge, Van der Voort is convinced Van Gerwen still possesses the quality to return to the top, with motivation decisive. "I mean, the hunger has to come back for winning titles, to competing with him and with all the players. And it's all up to him now. How much effort is he going to put into his darts and how much he wants it?" he said. "We all know his talent. Michael is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best players ever. So if he wants it, if he really wants it, he will be back to the best player he can be right now. And if that's the level of 2016, 2017, I don't know."
Turning to Luke Littler, Van der Voort highlighted the young Englishman's dominance in longer formats as he targets a fourth consecutive World Championship final. "100%. He showed that if it's above 20 legs, then he lost one match in his life. That was against Humphries in his first final," Van der Voort stated. "The other players all have a massive thing to figure out: how to beat him in the long format and ordinary format. Because when he comes to a tournament that really is interesting to him, he wins." His message to the competition: "That starts by not being a fanboy, but just go after him and just give him everything you have. And if he's better than you, then you've got nothing to blame yourself for."
Van der Voort also discussed changes to the PDC calendar, expressing surprise that France will host a European Tour event. "I was surprised by France because I would have expected Spain first, because Spain is bigger. The Dutch influence is bigger in Spain than it is in France. So, big surprise for me there, because we played Pro Tours in Spain back in the day and we've been there quite a while," he said. "So for me, it was a surprise that it went to France, but it's very good. Another country." He welcomed the addition of a new major tournament on mainland Europe and called for more ranking events outside the UK: "One hundred per cent. More ranking events should take place on television outside the United Kingdom. The sport has grown enormously, but almost all major ranking events and the other tournaments are still played in the United Kingdom. The European Championship is the exception. That is why an additional tournament is a very good thing." He even suggested moving existing majors: "I think, for instance, why don't you go for it with the Grand Prix? Leicester is not iconic or something. Don't get me wrong, everybody in Leicester, I'm not going to say anything bad about you guys. Not going to happen. But if you go to Europe, then it's something else. Make it more global."
On the expansion of the European Championship to 48 players, Van der Voort said: "Of course it's a good thing. I mean, to give the players an opportunity to play on TV is always good. So it's better, but on the other hand, it should be something that you achieve to be in a big tournament. But I think 48 is good. I mean, I would rather have 64 than 48, but 48 is okay." Regarding the Players Championship Finals expanding to 128 players, he said: "They do it, of course, for the top players that don't have to go to the Players Championship, the Pro Tours. You have to play a few and then they're in anyway. So in that way, it's good because you have the best players." But he warned: "On the other hand, it's also, like you think, you're going to see a lot of players skipping now, more than ever. So is that a good thing? I don't know." For lower-ranked players, he sees benefits: "For every player, it's good because you have an opportunity to play for TV. So you can tell your sponsors, 'I'm on the UK Open, I'm on the Players Championship Finals, World Championship.' So you get three, four tournaments that you're going to be on TV. So you have to give them something back for the money they sponsor you for."
Van der Voort does not believe it is fair that top players face criticism for skipping tournaments, given the crowded calendar. "No, I don't think so," he said. "So you have to see, like any other sport, you have to pick your programme. I'd stick to the programme." He criticised late withdrawals: "What they do wrong with the PDC, what I think is that you can skip a tournament too late. If you say in advance, 'I'm not going,' then it's no problem. But now they're skipping it after the draw or just before the draw, and it makes it all very difficult." He suggested combining Players Championships with European Tour weekends: "So, in my opinion, if you want to invest a little bit more in darts, go and play Pro Tours where the Euro Tour is." He also wants qualifying closer to events: "You play there to qualify a day before, so everybody knows you're going to be in or not. I don't dislike that. But it's very difficult with the Premier League and everything. Of course, yeah, I understand. It makes it very difficult, but it would be so much fairer because sometimes now people are playing a Euro Tour qualifier two months in advance of the tournament." Finally, he expressed frustration with ranking prize money: "If you qualify, the ranking money goes on straight away. But it should be going on when the tournament starts. So it's all kind of things. And two months in advance, you're not knowing how well you're going to play in two months."