Split In Darts
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The split in darts refers to the acrimonious dispute between top professional
darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...
players and the game's governing body, the
British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and amateur darts competitions in Britain. The BDO was a founder ...
(BDO), in 1993, leading to the formation of the
World Darts Council The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is a professional darts organisation in the United Kingdom, established in 1992 when a group of leading players split from the British Darts Organisation (BDO) to form what was initially called the Worl ...
(WDC). Between 1994 and 2020, each organisation held its own version of the
World Professional Darts Championship The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split ...
. The split was prompted by the game's big decline in television coverage in 1989 and the early 1990s, and by what the players saw as the BDO's inability to reverse that decline. The dispute culminated in the 16 top ranked players - including every previous world champion who was still active - breaking away from the BDO to form the WDC. The BDO responded by banning the 16 defectors from all BDO-sanctioned darts events, which included prohibition of remaining BDO affiliated players from even engaging in exhibition matches against any of the defectors. At the BDO's behest, this was endorsed at a
World Darts Federation The World Darts Federation (WDF) is a sport governing body and (along with the PDC) a tournament organiser for the game of darts. It was formed in 1974 by representatives of the original fourteen founding members. Membership is open to the nati ...
meeting and became a worldwide sanction. A long-running legal battle followed and ended with a Tomlin order in 1997. The BDO recognised the WDC and the right of players to choose which organisation they played for. In return, the WDC recognised the World Darts Federation as the governing body of world darts, the BDO as the governing body of UK darts, and renamed itself the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The BDO folded into administration in October 2020, the WDF took over control of BDO events.


Before the split

Darts first appeared on British television in 1962 when
Westward Television Westward Television was the first ITV (TV network), ITV franchise-holder for the South West England, South West of England. It held the franchise from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward Television provided a ...
broadcast the Westward TV Invitational to the south-west of England. 1972 was a big year for darts when ITV started broadcasting the News of the World Championship. Also in 1972 was the start of ''
The Indoor League ''The Indoor League'' was a pub games competition series that was produced by Yorkshire Television and aired from 1973 until 1977. The programme was hosted by former England cricketer Fred Trueman (1931–2006). Background The first series of ...
'', which featured a darts tournament, although it was only shown in the
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
region in 1972. ''The Indoor League'' was shown across Britain on the
ITV network ITV is a British free-to-air public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the ol ...
from 1973 onwards. The
British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and amateur darts competitions in Britain. The BDO was a founder ...
(BDO) was formed in 1973 by Olly Croft. The BDO became the governing body of the game in the United Kingdom and would organise darts events for grassroots players right through to the best players in the world. Gradually televised events began to appear more regularly as the 1970s went on and into the 1980s. ITV broadcast the World Masters, British Matchplay, the World Matchplay, the World Cup and other International competitions – particularly on its Saturday afternoon sports anthology show ''World of Sport''. The first darts tournament broadcast by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
was the 1975 British Open. When the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
began in 1978, the BBC picked up the event and also went on to cover the Bullseye Darts Championship, British Gold Cup, British Professional Championship and others in later years. The mass of coverage and amount of prize money in the game led to several players turning professional – now able to make a full-time living from the game.


Decline in the game

Darts players were allowed to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes on the stage during matches, a reflection of the game's roots in British
pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
. This behaviour by players was mocked in a ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' sketch in 1980 at the height of darts' popularity. The peak of the darts boom was reached in 1983, when there were more televised darts tournaments than ever before. After 1983, professional darts in Britain began to haemorrhage sponsors and lose television coverage. In 1984, the British Gold Cup (BBC), Butlins Grand Masters (ATV) and British Matchplay (ITV) all stopped being televised as programmes in their own right, although this negative news was partially offset by the creation of the
MFI World Matchplay The MFI World Matchplay championship was a major darts tournament organised by the British Darts Organisation. The tournament only lasted for five years but is historic in darts as it featured the first ever televised nine-dart finish on 13 Oc ...
. In September 1985, a big blow came when ITV decided to cancel its '' World of Sport'' show which had covered darts events on a regular basis. ITV continued to show darts as programmes in their own right over the next 3 years, but events in the second half of 1988 would rock professional darts to its foundations. In the summer of 1988, the BBC announced that they would be dropping nearly all of their darts coverage after the 1988 British Professional, but wanted to keep broadcasting the World Championship. In October 1988, after the transmission of the 1988 MFI World Matchplay on ITV, ITV announced that they would be withdrawing from all darts coverage at the end of the year, and their final tournament broadcast was the 1988 World Masters. As part of this, the ITV regional channels that covered local darts tournaments cancelled all of them at the end of 1988. As a result of these sudden catastrophic events, 1989 saw a very drastic slump in the amount of darts seen on TV, down to just one tournament, the World Championship. The BDO banned alcohol on stage during all matches from the 1989 World Championship, but the game maintained a poor image to sponsors.


Players' unrest

Even during the years from 1975 to 1988, when darts was either booming and/or had plenty of prize money and television coverage, there was a certain discontent bubbling under the surface amongst some of the top players, particularly with
John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...
. These issues were about why players lost money whenever they played for their country, why players had no say whatsoever in the running of darts, and why players would be prevented from wearing their personal sponsors on their shirts during tournaments, and also forced to wear BDO sponsors. Lowe mentions in his autobiography, entitled ''Old Stoneface'', that he was prevented from wearing his sponsor Unicorn on his shirt during tournaments, and was compelled to allow Unicorn's rivals Winmau to be put on his shirt instead for free. Lowe mentions that he and some other players would hold meetings with the BDO about these issues, but that nothing really changed. Due to the widespread television coverage and the prize money in darts at this time, any confrontations between the complainants and the BDO, never became too serious until 1988, when all remaining darts tournaments on television, except the World Championship, were getting cancelled after being held for the last time. Many players had become full-time professionals during darts' peak years in the 1980s, and the big sudden drop in the amount of darts television coverage in 1989 left them with very little prize money to play for. It also meant a lack of exposure, which would make it very tough for them to make a living from exhibition matches. The top players felt that not enough was being done by the BDO to encourage new sponsors into their sport and television coverage should be greater than just one event per year. In August 1988, a pressure group named the Darts Council had been formed by some top players and their agents, due to their concern about the imminent disappearance of darts television coverage. After over 3 years of internal pressure from the Darts Council had failed to produce any noticeable results from the BDO hierarchy, 16 professional players, including every previous BDO World Champion who was still active in the game, created their own darts organisation originally named the World Darts Council (WDC) in January 1992. They wanted to appoint a
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...
consultant to improve the image of the game and to get more tournaments on television. The WDC staged their first televised event in October 1992 (the ''Lada UK Masters'' on
Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
). The final straw which had led to the decision to form the World Darts Council in January 1992 was the BDO's quick release of a VHS videotape which featured extended highlights of the 1992 Embassy World Championship Final between Phil Taylor and Mike Gregory. The videotape also featured brief highlights of the 1983, 1985 and 1987 Embassy World Championship Finals featuring
Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed "The Crafty Cockney", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record five times, in 1980, 1981 and 1983–1985. He was ...
,
John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...
and Keith Deller, as well as Paul Lim's 9-dart finish from the 1990 Embassy World Championship. None of the featured players, nor their agents, were offered payment for the release of the VHS videotape.


The 1993 World Championship

The 1993 Embassy World Championship was the last time that all the players played in one unified world darts championship. The WDC players wore their new insignia on their sleeves during the tournament, but were told to remove them by the BDO. The WDC players decided that if they were not going to be recognised by the BDO they would no longer play in the Embassy tournament. The BDO did not allow the WDC players to set up their own tournaments and the players decided to go their own way. On 7 January 1993, the 16 WDC players released a statement saying that they would only participate in the 1994 Embassy World Championship if it came under the auspices of the WDC, and that they only recognised the WDC as having the authority to sanction their participation in darts tournaments worldwide. On 24 January 1993, a couple of weeks after the 1993 Embassy World Championship had ended, the BDO responded by suspending the 16 "rebel" players from all BDO tournaments on British soil. The 16 WDC players who signed the 7 January 1993 statement were: * Phil Taylor *
Dennis Priestley Dennis Priestley (born 16 July 1950) is an English former professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC (now PDC) world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He is ...
* Rod Harrington *
John Lowe John Lowe may refer to: Sports * John Lowe (darts player) (born 1945), English darts player. * John Lowe (footballer) (1912–1995), Scottish football player * John Lowe (rugby league), English rugby league footballer * John Lowe (cricketer) (18 ...
* Alan Warriner *
Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed "The Crafty Cockney", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record five times, in 1980, 1981 and 1983–1985. He was ...
* Jocky Wilson * Bob Anderson *
Peter Evison Peter Kenneth Evison (born 27 May 1964) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. Nicknamed The Fen Tiger, his greatest achievements were th ...
* Jamie Harvey *
Ritchie Gardner Richard Gardner is an English former professional darts player who had some success during the 1980s, and was one of the 16 top players who formed a breakaway organisation during an acrimonious split in the game during 1992–94. Career Gar ...
*
Cliff Lazarenko Cliff Lazarenko (born 16 March 1952) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "Big Cliff" due to his height (193 cm / 6'4") and weight (over 127 kg at his peak), he is known for being a colourful character on and off the stage ...
*
Kevin Spiolek Kevin Spiolek (born 5 May 1962 in Cambridge) is a retired English professional darts player who played during the 1980s and 1990s. He made a brief return to form in 2006, when qualifying to play in the PDC World Darts Championship. Career His ...
* Keith Deller * Mike Gregory * Chris Johns The list included every previous world darts champion, with the exception of
Leighton Rees Leighton Thomas Rees (17 January 1940 – 8 June 2003) was a Welsh professional darts player. He is best known as the first BDO World Professional Darts Champion, having won the inaugural 1978 BDO World Darts Championship and was a former Wor ...
, the first world champion from 1978, who was not an active player when the split happened.


The "defectors"

Satellite broadcaster
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
, which had not existed during the decline of the game, was beginning to become a viable option, following the creation of football's
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. In 1993, Sky Sports and the WDC signed a deal to exclusively cover the WDC's version of the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
and the World Matchplay from 1994. However, there was trouble ahead. Chris Johns had gone back to the BDO before the TV deal with Sky Sports was announced in order to play in a Welsh international game. In late November 1993, just 4 weeks before the first WDC World Darts Championship was due to get underway, Mike Gregory had a change of heart and was persuaded to return to the BDO. The remaining 14 players managed to remain united under pressure in the weeks following and got their own version of the
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
off the ground for 1994, with a-24 player field. This consisted of the 14 remaining "rebel" players, Englishmen
Graeme Stoddart Graeme Stoddart (born 30 July 1959 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a former English– Dutch professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname was Shark. Career Stoddart represented Holland in the 1984 Eu ...
and
Kevin Burrows Kevin Burrows (born 25 November 1964 from Ipswich, Suffolk) is a former English professional darts player, who played in the Professional Darts Corporation events. Career From Ipswich, Suffolk, Burrows first was brought in to make up the number ...
replacing Chris Johns and Mike Gregory, 7 American players Larry Butler, Jim Watkins,
Sean Downs Sean Downs (born February 6 1967) is an American former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Career Originally from Oregon, Downs first competed in the BDO World Darts Championship in 1993, wher ...
,
Gerald Verrier Gerald Verrier (born December 5, 1958) is an American former professional darts player who played in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Career Verrier was brought in to make up the numbers in the inaugural 1994 WDC World Darts ...
,
Jerry Umberger Jerry Umberger (born 21 January 1942) is a former American professional darts player, who played in Professional Darts Corporation events. He used the nickname Tucker. Career From Pennsylvania, Umberger first competed in the BDO World Darts C ...
, Dave Kelly, Steve Brown and Irishman Tom Kirby. The BDO event continued with a largely unknown field – although
Bobby George Robert Francis George (born 16 December 1945) is an English television presenter and former professional darts player. He is widely recognised as one of the game's biggest personalities, known for his flamboyant entrances in which the "King ...
produced a resurgent performance to reach the final. The BDO held on to their contract with the BBC to show the event on terrestrial television and began to bring through a new generation of players.


Court action

On 25 April 1993, at a meeting in Finchley, the BDO took the step of turning the suspension of the WDC players from playing in any BDO-run tournaments on British soil, into a full-scale ban on the WDC players from being able to play any BDO-sanctioned darts, even down to county level. The BDO also passed a motion which said that any BDO players who participated in exhibition events with WDC players, would also be banned from the BDO. The BDO passed the following motions at the 25 April 1993 Finchley meeting: * Any British Darts Organisation official, or British Darts Organisation player, who is associated with the activities of the World Darts Council shall forfeit the right to organise, attend or participate in any events under the jurisdiction of the British Darts Organisation, or its members, until written undertaking is given that they are no longer associated with the World Darts Council or its activities. Motion passed by 57 votes for to 0 votes against. * All member counties shall refrain from attending, or assisting in, any exhibitions involving the 16 players named in the World Darts Council statement of 7 January 1993, any players who have affiliated to the World Darts Council since that date, and any players who may affiliate to the World Darts Council in the future. Motion passed by 54 votes for to 1 vote against. * All member counties shall exclude any players who are affiliated to the World Darts Council from darts events under their jurisdiction. Motion passed by 60 votes for to 0 votes against. On 18 October 1993, at a WDF meeting in Las Vegas, the BDO sought to have their bans on the WDC players officially ratified and set in stone on a world scale in the WDF rules, and the Welsh WDF representative moved the motion that the WDC players be referred to as the "former top players". The motion passed by 24 votes for to 3 votes against. Two countries who voted against the motion at the Las Vegas meeting, the
USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, were the only two countries whose WDF affiliates refused to sanction the ban even after the vote, saying that what they were being asked to do was against their countries' constitutions, and would therefore be breaking the law. The WDC took advantage of this to invite 7 American darts players to play in the
1994 WDC World Darts Championship The 1994 Skol World Darts Championship was held following 18 months of controversy within the sport of darts. After the 1993 Embassy World Championships, several players decided it was time to part company with the British Darts Organisation ( ...
. The blanket BDO ban on the WDC led to a protracted four-year legal battle, which would incur large costs for both sides. The two bodies reached an out-of-court settlement on 30 June 1997 in the form of a Tomlin order. The BDO recognized the WDC and agreed that all players shall have the freedom of choice as to which open events they wish to play in. The WDC dropped its claim to be a world governing body and renamed itself the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The PDC accepted / recognized the WDF as the governing body for the Sport of Darts worldwide, and the BDO the governing body for darts in the UK. The stated purpose of the agreement was to promote the freedom of individual darts players to participate freely in open competition.


Player eligibility

Despite the Tomlin Order, eligibility for tournaments is somewhat complicated and possibly controversial. Initially, some BDO players took the opportunity to play in the PDC World Matchplay between 1997 and 2001, and in the PDC World Grand Prix from 1998 to 2001 – but since the start of 2002, entry to these tournaments and most other PDC majors has been restricted to members of the
Professional Dart Players Association The Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) is an organisation for professional dart players within the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Its intention is to look after the interests of all professional players through an annually electe ...
, which looks after PDC players. Most PDC tournaments are now usually restricted to members of the PDPA. To play in a BDO / WDF tournament, a player must agree to comply with the rules of the 1997 Tomlin Order and remain eligible for the BDO World Masters and World Championship, which effectively means not become a member of the PDPA. Players therefore usually have to choose whether to be affiliated to the PDC or the BDO and stay within the jurisdiction of that organisation. However, there are notable exceptions. PDPA Players Championships and Open events often allow residents of the host country to participate regardless of being a PDPA member or not. This leads to anomalies such as
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
winning the PDC Open Holland in 2006 whilst being a BDO player at the time. Another exception is made for major Dutch televised tournaments. They were previously staged under BDO / WDF qualification rules, but when the most famous Dutch player Raymond van Barneveld switched to the PDC, the tournament organisers insisted on inviting PDC players. An agreement was made with the BDO to allow a number of PDC wildcards for each event. Three more top Dutch players joined the PDC in January 2007 which adds more confusion to player eligibility rules for these events. (see
International Darts League The Topic International Darts League was a darts tournament held at the Triavium in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Raymond van Barneveld dominated the tournament, held in his home country, winning it on three of the five occasions it was held. Gary Anders ...
and
World Darts Trophy The Bullit World Darts Trophy was a professional darts tournament run by the British Darts Organisation and the World Darts Federation. Held each September from 2002 to 2007, it took place at the De Vechtsebanen in Utrecht, Netherlands. The tou ...
) The
Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invited the best performing players from its rival, the British Dart ...
(organised by the PDC) is the first major tournament staged in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
to feature players from both sides of the darting divide. Inaugurated in 2007 it also featured a return to darts broadcasting for ITV and in 2008 was broadcast exclusively live on
ITV4 ITV4 is a British free-to-air television channel which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a line-up that consists of sports, cult classic ...
. Players who reached the latter stages of all the major PDC and BDO tournaments over a two-year period were invited, and all but one (the then BDO World Champion
Martin Adams Martin Adams (born 4 June 1956) is an English professional darts player who plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. Nicknamed "Wolfie", he is a three-time BDO World Champion and three-time World Masters champion. He represents Cambridges ...
) accepted the invitation until 2015. Phil Taylor won the competition in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. BDO member
Scott Waites Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in tournaments of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. ...
won the title in 2010.


Standing of organisations

At the time of the split itself all the previous World Champions and top ranked players left to join the WDC. Between April 1993 and June 1997, the WDC needed to find as much money as possible to fund their legal action against the BDO, which was being taken in order to remove the blanket ban on their players passed at the April 1993 Finchley meeting. As a result of the financial difficulties for the WDC at this time, the 1993–1997 period was about survival and consolidation for the WDC rather than growth and expansion. The World Championship featured a group stage which guaranteed at least two television appearances for its players. Several of these players, including Jocky Wilson, who retired shortly after the split in 1995,
Eric Bristow Eric John Bristow, (25 April 1957 – 5 April 2018), nicknamed "The Crafty Cockney", was an English professional darts player. He was ranked World No. 1 by the World Darts Federation a record five times, in 1980, 1981 and 1983–1985. He was ...
, Keith Deller and
Cliff Lazarenko Cliff Lazarenko (born 16 March 1952) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "Big Cliff" due to his height (193 cm / 6'4") and weight (over 127 kg at his peak), he is known for being a colourful character on and off the stage ...
, had all been in a downward spiral of form for a few years. After the Tomlin Order of June 1997, the WDC changed its name to the PDC and they could start growing and expanding. The group stage at the PDC World Championship was scrapped for the 1999 championship, and the tournament has been conducted in a single elimination format since then with the number of participants gradually increasing. In the 2002 PDC World Darts Championship, the total prize fund of the PDC version overtook the BDO event for the first time. The same year, six prominent BDO players –
Steve Beaton Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1. Background Beaton was born in Co ...
,
Ronnie Baxter Ronnie Baxter (born 5 February 1961) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing a ...
, Chris Mason,
Kevin Painter Kevin Painter (born 12 July 1967) is an English retired darts player, known as "The Artist". He is arguably most famous for finishing as the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 2004 PDC World Championship final, now widely credited as one of the ...
,
Andy Jenkins Andrew Jenkins (born 11 March 1971) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He was nicknamed "Rocky" due to his rough personality. Jenkins has reached high rankings in the PDC, but ha ...
and Paul Williams – opted to compete in the PDC version of the World Championship. In 2015, the PDC world championship boasted a prize fund of £1.25 million, with £250,000 for the winner, compared with a prize fund of £339,000 in the BDO and £100,000 for the winner. In two years, 25 players earned £100,000 or more on the PDC circuit.BDO world championship is a faltering relic that’s worth clinging on to
/ref> In the later years of the BDO, numerous high-profile BDO players "defected" to the PDC, attracted by the greater prize money on offer. This is perceived as having widened the gap in quality between the two organisations, to the extent that in 2015 one commentator described the BDO as "mostly an unwilling feeder to the PDC: most of its biggest stars... jump ship given the chance." The list of defectors includes post-split BDO champions
John Part John Part (born June 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, a ...
, Richie Burnett,
Steve Beaton Steve Beaton (born 5 April 1964) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996 and is a former World No. 1. Background Beaton was born in Co ...
,
Les Wallace Les Wallace (born 22 February 1962) is a Scottish retired professional darts player. He adopted the nickname "McDanger", coming out for his matches dressed in a traditional kilt. He won the 1997 BDO World Darts Championship which is one of th ...
, Raymond van Barneveld,
Jelle Klaasen Jelle Klaasen (born 17 October 1984), nicknamed The Cobra, is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. In 2006, he became the youngest darts player to win ...
, Mark Webster,
Christian Kist Christian Kist (born 21 April 1986) is a Dutch professional darts player. In 2012, he won the BDO World Darts Championship, defeating Tony O'Shea in the final. Since 2014, he has competed in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Career BDO K ...
,
Stephen Bunting Stephen Bunting (born 9 April 1985) is an English professional darts player who competes in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former Wor ...
and
Glen Durrant Glen Durrant (born 24 November 1970), nicknamed "Duzza", is an English former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He previously won the BDO World Darts Championship three times consecutively fr ...
, as well as other top players such as Mervyn King,
Kevin Painter Kevin Painter (born 12 July 1967) is an English retired darts player, known as "The Artist". He is arguably most famous for finishing as the runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 2004 PDC World Championship final, now widely credited as one of the ...
,
Ronnie Baxter Ronnie Baxter (born 5 February 1961) is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing a ...
, James Wade, Gary Anderson,
Michael van Gerwen Michael van Gerwen (; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked number 3 in the world, having been number 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2 ...
,
Wayne Mardle Wayne Elliot Mardle (born 10 May 1973) is an English former professional darts player who played in events of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and British Darts Organisation (BDO). He was runner-up in three PDC majors, losing to Phil ...
,
Dave Chisnall Dave Chisnall (born 12 September 1980) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He began his career in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and was the runner-up in their World Champion ...
and
Simon Whitlock Simon Whitlock (born 3 March 1969) is an Australian professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments, having also played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) between 2004 and 2009. He uses the nickname ...
. In January 2019,
Glen Durrant Glen Durrant (born 24 November 1970), nicknamed "Duzza", is an English former professional darts player who played in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He previously won the BDO World Darts Championship three times consecutively fr ...
announced that he would be switching to the PDC, shortly after winning his third consecutive BDO World Championship. By comparison, relatively few players switched from the PDC to the BDO. 2004 BDO world champion
Andy Fordham Andrew Fordham (2 February 1962 – 15 July 2021) was an English professional darts player, commonly known as The Viking. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship and the 1999 Winmau World Masters. Darts career Fordham made his first ap ...
switched to the PDC in 2009, before returning to the BDO in 2013. Two-time BDO champion
Ted Hankey Edward Hankey (born 20 February 1968) is an English former professional darts player and convicted sex offender. Nicknamed "The Count", he won the BDO World Darts Championship in 2000, was runner-up in 2001, and won the title for a second time ...
moved to the PDC in 2012 and switched back two years later. Neither had much success in the PDC. Three time BDO women's champion
Anastasia Dobromyslova Anastasia Petrovna Dobromyslova-Martin (russian: Анастаси́я Петро́вна Добромы́слова; born 26 September 1984) is a professional darts player. She is a three-time Women's World Professional Darts Champion of the B ...
moved to the PDC in 2008 and moved back in 2011. Players from the rival organisations rarely face each other, except in the
Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invited the best performing players from its rival, the British Dart ...
, to which the top BDO players are invited. 16 times world champion (2 BDO, 14 PDC) Phil Taylor twice defeated the reigning BDO champion in an official challenge match: Raymond van Barneveld in 1999 and
Andy Fordham Andrew Fordham (2 February 1962 – 15 July 2021) was an English professional darts player, commonly known as The Viking. He won the 2004 BDO World Darts Championship and the 1999 Winmau World Masters. Darts career Fordham made his first ap ...
in 2004. Former BDO stalwarts
John Part John Part (born June 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, a ...
and van Barneveld have won the PDC World Championship having previously won the BDO version. In addition, reigning BDO World Champion Mark Webster defeated PDC World Champion
John Part John Part (born June 29, 1966) is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, a ...
10–2 in legs in the second round of the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts. BDO player
Scott Waites Scott Waites (born 17 February 1977) is an English professional darts player who plays in tournaments of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He is a two-time BDO World Darts Champion having won the 2013 tournament and 2016 tournament. ...
won the
2010 Grand Slam of Darts The 2010 Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts was the fourth staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 13–21 November 2010 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, W ...
. Waites is the only BDO player to reach the final of the event.


PDC bid to take over BDO

On 21 October 2009, Barry Hearn made a bid of £1 million to purchase the BDO. It was the first time that a formal offer had been made public to end the 17-year split between the two organisations. However, later in the day, BDO founder Olly Croft rejected the proposal. A few months after the takeover offer and in the aftermath of the two organisations' 2010 World Championships, it was revealed and understood that the county organisations had asked the BDO board to consider the offer more seriously.


BDO lifting of PDC restrictions

On 23 August 2018, under new chairman Des Jacklin, the BDO made the decision to modify their eligibility rules. All PDC tour card holders were now permitted to enter BDO events, with the rule changes coming into effect on 1 October of the same year. The decision was made to allow female players to enter the PDC Ladies play-offs (for two spots in the PDC World Championship) without the loss of status in the BDO. This rule change also allows all players that compete in the BDO to enter the PDC Q-School without penalty. The PDPA still retains all streaming/television restrictions on PDPA tour card holders in non-PDC sanctioned events.https://www.live-darts.com/category/bdo-darts-news/bdo-lift-sanctions-on-pdc-players-20180822/


See also

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List of darts players who have switched organisation Between 1993 and 2020 professional darts had two rival bodies which staged tournaments and had separate pools of players, the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Both staged its own world championship. In ...
*
Comparison of rugby league and rugby union The team sports rugby union and rugby league have shared origins and thus many similarities. Initially, following the 1895 split in rugby football, rugby union and rugby league differed in administration only. Soon, however, the rules of rugby ...
split in organisation


References

{{Darts Darts British Darts Organisation Professional Darts Corporation