Much more than just a game at the local…

Phil Taylor in Action

The late nineties and throughout the noughties has seen the evolution of a game which dates all the way back to medieval times. But ever since the first bristle dartboard was produced in 1932, the game of darts has rapidly grown from a game what people would enjoy whilst drinking a pint down at the local pub, to a national phenomenon which has taken Britain and parts of the World by storm. The sport comprises of two major companies in the industry, the BDO (British Darts Organisation) and the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) in which both contain a healthy roster of professional darts players.

I for one have been lured in with the rest of darts adoring fans with the new modern era of professional darts, which boasts many international events scattered across the world. The meteoric rise to fame could arguably be down to one Phillip Taylor. Accredited with 12 world titles since the PDC’s formation, and numerous other honours during his illustrious career, Taylor has relentlessly conquered all before him to reach unreachable heights within sporting history books. Taylor first won his world championship in 1995 defeating Rod Harrington after finishing runner up to Dennis Priestley the previous year. Amazingly, Taylor has appeared in every World Championship Final since 1994 barring the 2008 final between Canadian John Part and surprise package Kirk Shepherd who entered the tournament as a 500-1 qualifier.

Barry Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport and the PDC, deserves major credit for his role in darts’ new found popularity. Not only that, but Hearn has also used his influence in the sporting industry to promote other sports in the UK such as snooker and boxing. The Premier League of darts, a new tournament introduced in 2005 which sees the top eight players in the world based on tournament earnings, has generated  a massive income for the PDC. Sweeping the UK from Edinburgh to Brighton, the Premier League has added an exciting new dimension to darts, with flashing lights, colorful animation, and not to mention the very attractive walk on girls. From a personal perspective, the Premier League of Darts is a memorable experience. I attended the Hallam FM arena in Sheffield when the PDC was touring in 2007. The atmosphere could have emulated that of a steel city derby between United and Wednesday, nevermind just a night of darts.

Sid Waddell, the eccentric geordie who commentates along with John Gwynne, Stuart Pyke and Dave Lanning on PDC televised events, is someone who with outrageous and sometimes ridiculous comments to suit, has amassed a huge fanbase within the sporting world of darts. He has written many biographies of modern day players including Jockey Wilson, Phil Taylor and John Lowe. His book “Bellies and Bullseyes” was nominated for the British Sports Book Award for 2008. A feat which i would not dispute.

These are certainly exciting times for darts players and fans alike, prize money and the numbers of tournaments involved in the circuit across the world are fastly growing thanks to media coverage and advertising. World Championships finals have seen well over 500,000 viewers for the past 6 years and in 2009 it reached its all time peak of over a million viewers. This year there is up to £5 million up for grabs on the PDC circuit giving an opportunity for participants to relieve some of their money worries in this current economic doom and gloom.

Who knows what the future holds for the sport of darts…

 

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