If you think darts is the preserve of once-smoky pub saloon bars and amateur teams exchanging fixtures in order to consume as much Mild as possible then you couldn't be more wrong. It's not called Premier League Darts for nothing.

Long since the Crafty Cockney Eric Bristow and Gentleman John Lowe thrilled Saturday lunchtime TV audiences on Grandstand or ITV's World Of Sport, Sky has sought to sex-up the game somewhat, helping it to shed its undeserved and out-dated image.

Spotting the transcendental drama encapsulated in a head-to-head battle of 20-or-so arrows and lightning quick mental arithmetic, the broadcaster took the sport of darts by the hand and dragged it screaming into a new century and to a new audience.

In 2011, the truth is, people go mad for the darts. Viewing figures are impressive, the players enjoy a higher profile than ever and when two heavyweights are going toe-to-toe in the Premier League, it now makes all the sports bulletins across all networks and attracts advocates from a range of unlikely sources.

Once viewed as a slightly grubby indoor game for overweight pub bores, these days fans from Wayne Rooney to Stephen Fry can be found pontificating on the superhuman skill of Phil 'The Power' Taylor or Barney.

The 2012 Premier League Darts will feature the top four players in the PDC Order of Merit following the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship plus four Wildcards, with the eight players competing over 14 weeks in the league phase before the top four progress to the play-offs.

The competition takes place across 15 arena dates on successive Thursdays in early 2012. The opening fixture is at the MEN Arena on Thursday 9th February, followed by matches in Aberdeen, Belfast, Exeter, Brighton, Glasgow, Dublin, Cardiff, Nottingham, Sheffield, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Birmingham (NIA) and Newcastle, before the Finals at The O2 in London on Thursday 17th May 2012.

Tickets will go on sale at 9AM on Monday 10th October 2011, priced £35 for floor table seats and £20 for tiered seating. For Dublin, tickets are €40 and €25.