A meteoric rise

How Darts transformed from small pub game to global phenomenon

By Jordan Sollof

A knight in 1333, a cross-bow man in 1376, and a knight - darts stemmed from this period when these objects were thrown! (Source: alamy)

A knight in 1333, a cross-bow man in 1376, and a knight - darts stemmed from this period when these objects were thrown! (Source: alamy)

The rapid rise of Darts has been nothing short of fascinating. From a widely known 'pub game', the Sport has continued to grow and reach heights that were unthinkable just a few decades ago. Did you know the sport originated back in the 1300s, in medieval times? I bet you didn't! The sport goes way back, and it has been on some journey since.

Historical Context

The game of darts is roughly 700 years old, but it has been around in various forms for a very long time. Most historical accounts agree that darts began as a military pastime.

Between battles, bored soldiers would sit in the trenches and compete by throwing spearheads and other sharp objects at the bottoms of upturned wine casks. Officials even encouraged soldiers to partake since it was an easy and effective way to practice their aim and throwing skills.

Darts would progressively change over hundreds of years until the turn of the nineteenth century when it began to approximate the game we all know today. The game of darts grew at an astounding rate.

The game spread across the isle of Britain to the point that even the nobility began taking part in the activity. A famous anecdote has King Henry VIII playing with a set of exquisitely decorated darts gifted to him by his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Darts enjoyed great popularity during the first decades of the twentieth century, and by 1930, the game was played across England and in Welsh pubs and breweries. Championships began to be set up, and by 1939, almost 300,000 participants signed up for the annual News of the World Championship.

By the 1980s, darts had grown so much that superstars were produced. Names like Lees, Wilson and Lazarenko were famous names and were instantly recognised on the streets. This paved the way for modern-day darts.

Darts Historical Timeline
Infogram

Modern Darts

Modern darts is quite the spectacle. Big arenas, fancy dress, lots of beer, and a standard of darts better than we've ever seen before. Attending the darts has become an exciting and niche night out, particularly for large groups of friends.

One avid fan, Andrew Dugton, said: "I love going to the darts because the atmosphere is top quality and there isn't another sport that offers the same experience.

"I've been to the World Championships at the Ally Pally five times and every time was brilliant."

The spectacle darts creates is one of the big draws for the millions that watch live every year. Without the glitz and glamour, there would be no big show and therefore no big crowd.

2018 PDC World Championship Stage (Source: Sky Sports)

A packed arena at Alexandra Palace (Source: BBC Sport)

My video on the rise of modern darts

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Expert Opinion - Wayne Mardle

Five-time World Championship semi-finalist turned Sky Sports Darts commentator and pundit Wayne 'Hawaii 501' Mardle gives his expert opinion on the key questions within the sport.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH EX-PRO WAYNE MARDLE:

Why has Darts grown so much in the last few decades?

" There’s a number of reasons in my personal opinion. Darts had been popular in spells throughout the last five decades on TV in the UK. That popularity never really made its way elsewhere till the early 2000’s, that’s when I think it really became a global game.

By this time Sky Sports were showing more and more darts on TV. With the recipe of the players, the Professional Darts Corporation, the officials and mainly the fans who attended, it became such a great sport to watch, from your armchair and for those in attendance at the arena."

What is it about the Sport that makes it so appealing?

" Most people watching have thrown a dart. Most can relate to the person they’re watching. The worlds best players look like your average human. I also think Sky Sports need a huge mention here. They saw that the fan wanted to be entertained. The introduction of the walk on tunes, updated graphics. It’s a party atmosphere. All this leads to the enjoyment some get watching the sport of darts."

How far can Darts go?

" The growth of the sport has been constantly improbable in my opinion. I thought it would have peaked by now. The Asian market continues to grow. I’d like more of a world tour. It’s still too European based. Geographically it’s difficult for non-Europeans to compete.

It seems a paradox, even though Darts has a worldwide appeal it’s still a predominately European game. If it is going to get even bigger I think America holds the key. It has hundreds of thousands of registered players."

What do you predict for the future?

" Such a difficult question. I’m actually OK with the sport stabilising and plateauing as it is of today. Yes it’s a big sport, but as sports go, darts is a big little sport. Darts isn’t football, Golf, Tennis to name just a few. It’s smaller than them I know, that doesn’t mean it can’t be but it’s one of the only few sports that relies on the fans to pay the wages, the big conglomerates aren’t interested in darts, until that changes it has a ceiling.

So, I see darts in the future pretty much carrying on as it does today. I’m happy to be part of a sport that’s big enough to have a worldwide pull and appeal, but is still small enough to exist within its own bubble, so the fans and subscribers to all platforms are the ones we need to look after.

The fans are the real stars within darts. "

Mardle in action at the PDC World Championship (Source: Champions)

Mardle celebrates vs Robert Thornton (Source: RadioTimes)

Mardle celebrates beating Phil Taylor at the World Championship (Source: Professional Darts Corporation)

Mardle at a recent exhibition event (Source: Josh's Dartistry)

University Darts

Greg Batting and Conall Doughty, University of Sheffield Darts Society President and Vice-President respectively

Greg Batting and Conall Doughty, University of Sheffield Darts Society President and Vice-President respectively

Gregg Batting and Conall Doughty oversee the running of the University of Sheffield Darts Society. Both are Darts enthusiasts and are proud to represent their university.

Darts President Greg Batting said: "Darts has grown so much at a professional level but also university level. Our society is growing and the big uni events in England are getting bigger every year."

Vice-President Conall Doughty added: "I can only see University Darts and Darts in general just growing and growing. I'm excited to see how big it can get within universities because it's a great way of socialising and having a break from doing work."

It's clear, using the University of Sheffield Darts society as an example, that the sport is growing in universities, and this is because of how modern darts has grown worldwide.

Prize Money

The rise since the first PDC World Championship in 1994.

Dennis Priestley v Phil Taylor, 1994 PDC World Championship Final (Source: Sky Sports)

Dennis Priestley v Phil Taylor, 1994 PDC World Championship Final (Source: Sky Sports)

Since the first PDC World Darts Championship in 1994, the total prize money has continued to rise, which has helped to grow the sport in to the product it is today. In a period of 25 years, the total prize fund for the World Championship has increased from £64,000 to £2.5 million.

This increase in Prize Fund is because of PDC Chairman Barry Hearn's investment in the sport. He has been a major factor in turning darts in to a global sport, adding tournament after tournament in almost every part of the world.

Barry Hearn, Professional Darts Corporation Chairman

Barry Hearn, Professional Darts Corporation Chairman

Hearn introduced the European Tour and World Series, enabling darts to reach parts of the world it has never been before. For the first time ever, Darts will be played at Madison Square Gardens in the 2020 US Darts Masters. This is sure to attract even more fans and help push the sport further forward.

Hearn told the BBC: "I have a clear, concise plan of where this sport is going and that is globally.

"I don't see any reason at all why darts shouldn't be the same size as professional golf."

Under Barry Hearn's guidance, there is no doubt that this sport's rise will continue.

It's clear that Darts has enjoyed an incredible, and fair to say, improbable meteoric rise in the last three decades. With other markets yet to be conquered, such as in Asia, there is still plenty of room for Darts to grow even bigger. One day, we could be talking about Darts as one of the most popular on the planet - it could even be in the Olympics one day!

One thing is for sure though, the meteoric rise of Darts is a remarkable story, and it's far from over.