A Calculated Throw: The Increasing Popularity of Darts

Dartboards at Poelcafé Streetlife © Amber van Kempen

The 52nd edition of the world’s biggest open darts competition, TOTO Dutch Open Darts, will be held in Assen this coming weekend. This city will form the battleground for a record-breaking 8,364 participants, including athletes with physical disabilities, from 30 January - 2 February. The event at the sport and event centre De Bonte Wever promises thrills, high energy and possibly the occasional beer spill.

Although the origin of the sport is somewhat disputed, the name “darts” comes from the English language. England, Germany and the Netherlands send the most participants to competitions according to The Darts Corner Blog. The Netherlands has held official open darts competitions since 1979, with Assen steadily hosting the TOTO competition annually since 2014.

The Social Side of Darts

The love for the game is shared by many and, according to the team captain of Heren Darts Organisatie Groningen en Noord Drenthe (DOGD), the best thing about playing darts is “the social aspect and the game itself. It can be very addictive when you keep getting better and invest many hours,” he tells The Glass Room.

He will be competing in the upcoming TOTO Dutch Open Darts competition with his team. He explains that he trains “at least an hour a day, and then more on the competition days themselves,” to maintain his performance.

Heren DOGD’s goal in Assen is “to make it as far into the competition as possible, maybe even to the finale on Sunday. For many it is also a weekend getaway and these people will often be in the party tent,” says the team captain.

The atmosphere at competitions can differ depending on the location and people, “not everyone is fun, but anyone and anywhere can be fun and have a good atmosphere,” the team captain continues.

The worldwide, ever-growing popularity and media attention of darts is good, and is positively changing the image of the game by transforming it from a bar activity into an official sport, say amateur darters Michael Imminga and Henrian de Vries. 

Participating only in local tournaments and playing darts with friends, de Vries and Imminga echo Heren DOGD’s team captain’s enthusiasm for the sport. De Vries tells The Glass Room that “the best thing about playing darts is that you can do it alone and against someone. It is about your own quality and it is competitive. It is also fun to see your progression and that the sport is very accessible.”

Imminga tells The Glass Room, “the social aspect is the best thing about darts.” He usually plays darts with friends and participates in local social tournaments with those same people as well.

On occasion Imminga has played darts for over six consecutive hours; however, on nights dedicated to the game, the average time he and his friends spend throwing darts is about three hours. 

Heren DOGD team captain closed the interview by saying, “anyone, young or old, can become a darts player.”