'Nobody has the financial capability to come to the PDC' - Paul Lim sounds alarm for top Asian talent

Paul Lim admits that a lack of financial support prevents top Asian talents from pursuing their dream of playing on the PDC ProTour. 'The Singapore Slinger' is convinced that the talent is there, but few can afford the high costs associated with playing a full season in England and Europe.

The former World Matchplay quarterfinalist sees the PDC Asia Tour as a lifeline and a huge boost to the development of local players. Still, the 71-year-old thinks it's still quite a mountain to climb for Asian darters if they want to compete weekly against top players like Luke Humphries and Luke Littler.

“The problem is that nobody has the financial capability of committing to actually come to the PDC," said Lim on Huw Ware's podcast Tops and Tales.

“For so many years, people have asked me, why don’t I try to get a Tour Card? Honestly speaking, with my job, with what I’m doing, I can’t afford to come here because I believe that if you do make a commitment of getting a Tour Card here, once you get your Tour Card, you must commit to playing here because that’s the whole purpose.

“You want to drive yourself to see how good you really are until you come to play the PDC circuit in Europe and UK," he continued. "This is not easy at all. Yet until then, that’s why Christian Perez, who actually came from the Philippines — when he got the Tour Card, he tried here, he tried for two years. Now he’s lost his Tour Card. Still, I take my hat off to him and I salute him."

The darter from Singapore wrote his name into the history books with the first ever nine-darter at a World Championship in 1990. Over the years, Lim has appeared on multiple PDC stages, including the Last 16 of the World Grand Prix in the 1990s. In 2017, he was close to another nine-darter against Gary Anderson at the World Championship, but missed the double 12 on the wire.

Lim stressed how crucial the role of the PDC Asia Tour is for local players who dream of participating in the World Cup and capturing the Sid Waddell Trophy. "I think the PDC Asia Tour is the stepping stone for Asian players. That's the only stepping stone. Otherwise, we don't have any possibility."

“I think the PDC Asia Tour is the steppingstone for the Asian players. That is the only steppingstone. Otherwise, we have no other way. Our only way is to qualify through the PDC Asia Tour, PDC Asia Championship.

“And from there, of course, in Japan they have the PDJ. They have their own little tournament to select one player. In China, they have the PDC China, right, to have one player. Philippine? Actually, they don’t have their own selection. They have to go to the PDC Asia Tour.

“So basically the PDC Asia Tour has taken a gamble on Asia. I’m thankful for them for actually being able to see that to truly include the world of darts, you have to include Asia.

“Eventually, look at India’s population, you look at China’s population — come on, we are the biggest populated countries in the world. It’s a matter of creating the awareness and creating the possibility of people being aware of darts being a sport as it is.

“It’s not easy. I tell you, darts is one of the hardest.”