'The PDPA should be optional. And I know that a lot of other players think the same' - Joe Cullen calls for change

Any player who wants to compete on the PDC Pro Tour must not only hold a Tour Card — they’re also required to pay an annual fee to the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA), essentially the players’ union that represents their interests. But Joe Cullen, one of the PDC’s top players for years, isn’t a fan of the arrangement. “The Rockstar” is now calling for change.

Cullen earned his Tour Card back in 2011 and has been a regular fixture on the tour ever since. With nearly 15 years of experience at the top level, the 35-year-old Englishman is well-positioned to speak out about the PDPA, whose board includes former stars like Alan Warriner-Little and Peter Manley.

"I personally think it should be optional," Cullen tells Online Darts. "I think in most work environments a union, effectively that's what it is, is optional. You choose to pay into it or you choose not to."

"I'm not about to sit here and slag off the PDPA," Cullen clarifies. "I'm not sure what they do, I've not really looked into it that much. But I think, people say 'it's only 2%'. But when we win stupid amounts of money, we're paying them stupid amounts of money. I personally think the PDPA should be optional. And I know that a lot, a lot of other players think the same, but ironically, it's down to the players to get together to put that question to them."