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Darts Drama over the years
The world of darts has had its fair share of drama largely because of its two separate governing bodies, the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) and the BDO (British Darts Organisation). The division has meant that no one person in twenty years has been able to call themselves World Darts Champion.
The split originated during the 1993 tournament, in which some of the BDO’s key players disagreed with the sporting body about the standards and state of the game, and separated acrimoniously off to form the PDC, ostensibly creating a rival organisation to the BDO.
Despite this dramatic division in the world of darts, both the PDC and the BDO seem to both be attracting the players, money and audiences to ensure their individual survival. The BDO, of course, can boast that they have a strong connection to the early days of the sport, with all the prestige and history that comes with it, not to mention a tradition of training fledgling players, and being able to showcase their matches within the framework of a strong media presence not initially afforded to the PDC.
Gradually this has changed though, with the PDC gaining more prestige, respect and wherewithal, with BDO players even crossing over to take part in PDC Grand Slam matches. Whether the two distinct organisations can find a way to work together so that one day, a new Darts World Champion can stand again, remains to be seen.
Several years ago, the BDO flat-out rejected a takeover offer by the PDC as they were reluctant to relinquish the control and respect they’d garnered in their own right. PDC Director Rod Harrrington admits they would not try to make such an offer in future, but both he and executive director of PR and communications for BDO, Robert Holmes, admit that the tensions are less these days and that they will keep in mind every opportunity to develop and improve the sport, despite their chequered history.
Despite the general feeling from darts fans that one organisation would be preferable, both the BDO and the PDC seem to be thriving and comfortable about each other’s existence. This is not to say there is not a huge gulf in quality though, looking at betfair odds for last year’s Grand slam of darts tournament all the favourites were PDC players. This also shows when looking at which of the organisations feature more heavily on the bookies sites, again using betfair as an example they feature quite a large section on premier league betting comparison information for the PDC event yet many BDO events don’t even feature The choice, as ever, is down to the punter but it does look like the PDC will remain the bigger of the two in many respects for the near future.
The split originated during the 1993 tournament, in which some of the BDO’s key players disagreed with the sporting body about the standards and state of the game, and separated acrimoniously off to form the PDC, ostensibly creating a rival organisation to the BDO.
Despite this dramatic division in the world of darts, both the PDC and the BDO seem to both be attracting the players, money and audiences to ensure their individual survival. The BDO, of course, can boast that they have a strong connection to the early days of the sport, with all the prestige and history that comes with it, not to mention a tradition of training fledgling players, and being able to showcase their matches within the framework of a strong media presence not initially afforded to the PDC.
Gradually this has changed though, with the PDC gaining more prestige, respect and wherewithal, with BDO players even crossing over to take part in PDC Grand Slam matches. Whether the two distinct organisations can find a way to work together so that one day, a new Darts World Champion can stand again, remains to be seen.
Several years ago, the BDO flat-out rejected a takeover offer by the PDC as they were reluctant to relinquish the control and respect they’d garnered in their own right. PDC Director Rod Harrrington admits they would not try to make such an offer in future, but both he and executive director of PR and communications for BDO, Robert Holmes, admit that the tensions are less these days and that they will keep in mind every opportunity to develop and improve the sport, despite their chequered history.
Despite the general feeling from darts fans that one organisation would be preferable, both the BDO and the PDC seem to be thriving and comfortable about each other’s existence. This is not to say there is not a huge gulf in quality though, looking at betfair odds for last year’s Grand slam of darts tournament all the favourites were PDC players. This also shows when looking at which of the organisations feature more heavily on the bookies sites, again using betfair as an example they feature quite a large section on premier league betting comparison information for the PDC event yet many BDO events don’t even feature The choice, as ever, is down to the punter but it does look like the PDC will remain the bigger of the two in many respects for the near future.