Darts has now firmly established itself as the
biggest indoor sport in the UK. The Premier
League draws in larger crowds than even some
Championship football clubs can manage.
There are professional tours of Europe and
dedicated tours in North America, Scandinavia
and Australia. There’s a £7m prize fund in
professional darts this year alone.
But after several small steps, is the sport ready to
take the giant leap? Can it get a seat at the sporting
banquet table that is the Olympic Games? Or is
it doomed to the same fate as squash, sumo and
baseball?
Let’s set the scene.
A boisterous 10,000 strong crowd in the big city’s
major arena are eagerly waiting for their heroes to
take to the stage. Beer is being brought by the barrel.
Messages on signs that are encouraging, humorous
and even romantic, are being written whilst the
dancers are keeping everyone else entertained.
Backstage in the green room, the evening’s
entertainment make their last minute preparations.
Some relax. Others practice. The rest fine-tune the
instruments which have helped them earn nearly a
million pounds in as little as two years.
There’s a knock on the door, and two men make
their way into the cauldron of noise.
The Master of Ceremonies takes his place and each
player is introduced with a list of their achievements
preceding them, followed by the crowd singing along
to their walk-on music as they make their way to
the stage. They shake hands with fans young and
old, kiss loved ones, whilst being accompanied by a
walk-on girl and bouncer.
TV, sign big contracts and then tour the world. The
sport as a whole even went to rehab for alcoholism
brought on after that infamous Not the Nine o’clock
News sketch, but now, professionally at least, darts
is teetotal.
There’s even been the odd run-in with the authorities
– Jocky Wilson, Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow, Robbie
Green, James Wade and Jelle Klaasen have all
been in varying degrees of trouble with the sports’
governing bodies or the crown itself.
But despite some hailing 16-times world champion
Phil Taylor as the greatest sportsman this country
has ever produced, there is one thing missing from
his vast trophy cabinet that: Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir
Bradley Wiggins, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Matthew Pinsent
and Sir Ben Ainslie all have, knighthood aside. An
Olympic gold medal.
Had darts been in the Olympics since he won his
first world title (1990), Taylor might well have had
four or five of the six gold medals in an individual
competition alone.
It seems amiss that one of the most popular and
fastest growing sports in the world isn’t in the
Olympic programme.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has
included BMX to appeal to younger generations, yet
there are many children, teenagers and young adults
at major darts tournaments with their families.
Granted it’s not the most physically demanding sport
in the world, but then again squash, which Forbes
magazine says is the healthiest sport to play, isn’t in
the Olympics either.
Some darts fans will argue that its fellow target
But these men are not part of a rock
band, nor are they boxers or WWE
wrestlers. They are men who
have practically perfected one
of the hardest sports in the
world to play well. They
are darts players, and for
one night only the Premier
League is in town.
It’s remarkable just how far
darts has come; it’s the new
rock and roll of sport, and
players and musicians do have
a surprising amount in common.
From learning how to play at home
before playing in pubs and clubs,
they go on tour around the county, then
country, then major tournaments/festivals on
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig