The UK Open to move to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes this March

Michael van Gerwen will be aiming to defend his UK Open title after the tournament was moved from Butlin's Minehead Resort in Somerset to the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes; PDC chief executive Matt Porter says they hope to "keep the spirit of the UK Open alive"

Image: Michael van Gerwen is the reigning UK Open champion

The 2021 UK Open will be staged behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from March 5-7.

The annual festival of darts is usually held at the Butlin's Minehead Resort in Somerset, with eight stages in action during the early rounds of the three-day tournament.

"We share the disappointment of players and fans that the 2021 Ladbrokes UK Open will not be able to be staged in its popular home at the Butlin's Minehead Resort in front of a live crowd this March," said PDC chief executive Matt Porter.

Image: Butlin's Minehead Resort is the home of the UK Open, but not this year due to the coronavirus pandemic

"The UK Open forms an important part of the PDC calendar and it is appropriate that this retains its place in March this year.

"We're pleased to be able to keep the spirit of the UK Open alive by incorporating amateur players, even though we are unfortunately not able to stage qualifying events with Rileys this year due to the current circumstances.

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"As always we'll be playing across eight stages simultaneously on the opening day, and I'm sure that the excitement and drama will remain for everyone watching the coverage around the world throughout the tournament."

Image: MVG lifts the trophy at Butlin's Minehead Resort last year

2021 UK Open

Friday March 5

Also See:

Afternoon Session (1200 GMT)
First Round
Second Round
Third Round

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Fourth Round

Saturday March 6

Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Fifth Round

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Sixth Round

Sunday March 7

Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Quarter-Finals

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Final

Watch full coverage of every night of the Premier League on Sky Sports, and stick with us through the year as we bring you the latest darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts

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