International Darts League
Encyclopedia
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 Anderson
was the final champion, having claimed the title in 2007, when the tournament also became the first major event to witness two nine dart finish
es.
Held in May, it was the second leg of the BDO’s
Grand Slam title of televised majors, along with the World Darts Trophy
, the Winmau World Masters
and the Lakeside World Professional Championship
.
It began as a tournament for BDO players, but following van Barneveld's move to the PDC
, Dutch broadcaster SBS-6
were able to grant five invitations to non-WDF affiliated players for the first time in 2006, in order to maintain interest in the event. The number of invitations was increased to 20 in 2007 as more Dutch players, including Jelle Klaasen
and Michael van Gerwen
, had moved to the PDC. This was done with the agreement of the Schoofs Management & Events/Maximum Score – the owner and promoter of the tournament. http://www.dartswdf.com/aa_darts/newsarchives/newsarchjan2006.html.
It is the only major event of which Phil Taylor
has never won.
, announced that its players would not be competing in the 2008 International Darts League and World Darts Trophy events. As a result, SBS6 announced they would no longer be broadcasting the event, with their coverage relying heavily on big names such as van Barneveld, which then cast doubts over whether either tournament would go ahead.
The tournament promoters filed a lawsuit against the PDC and SBS6 claiming a contract had been agreed for the PDC players to be involved. The case ended in failure on 21 February 2008, and the International Darts League was indefinitely postponed. The future of the World Darts Trophy was also thrown into doubt as a result of the decision, and both events were confirmed defunct by the failure of an appeal on April 29, 2008.
groups of 4 players. The top two players in each group qualified for another round-robin phase. Again, the top two players in each group progressed, but this time to the quarter-finals of the knockout stages.
Despite the presence of the PDC players in 2006, the tournament was still a WDF/BDO ranking event, with all available points going only to the WDF/BDO players competing.
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
tournament held at the Triavium in Nijmegen, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
dominated the tournament, held in his home country, winning it on three of the five occasions it was held. Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson (darts player)
Gary Anderson is a Scottish professional darts player from Eyemouth, Scottish Borders, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation, and a former BDO and WDF world number one. His nickname is The Flying Scotsman...
was the final champion, having claimed the title in 2007, when the tournament also became the first major event to witness two nine dart finish
Nine dart finish
A nine-dart finish is the ultimate checkout in the game of darts, constituting a perfect game. It is notoriously difficult to achieve, even by the game's top professionals...
es.
Held in May, it was the second leg of the BDO’s
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
Grand Slam title of televised majors, along with the World Darts Trophy
World Darts Trophy
The World Darts Trophy was a darts tournament held each September at De Vechtsebanen in Utrecht, Netherlands between 2002 and 2007. The tournament has a playing format comparable with the two World Championships, the BDO World Darts Championship and the PDC World Darts Championship...
, the Winmau World Masters
Winmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
and the Lakeside World Professional Championship
BDO World Darts Championship
The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation . It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994...
.
It began as a tournament for BDO players, but following van Barneveld's move to the PDC
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
, Dutch broadcaster SBS-6
SBS6
SBS 6 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are NET 5 and Veronica.- History :SBS stands for Scandinavian Broadcasting System...
were able to grant five invitations to non-WDF affiliated players for the first time in 2006, in order to maintain interest in the event. The number of invitations was increased to 20 in 2007 as more Dutch players, including Jelle Klaasen
Jelle Klaasen
Jelle Klaasen is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is the youngest darts player to win the World Darts Championship. His nickname is The Matador. He lives in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands...
and Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen is a Dutch professional darts player, nicknamed Mighty Mike. He is the youngest player in history to win a major televised tournament in either the BDO or the PDC, winning the 2006 Winmau World Masters at the age of 17...
, had moved to the PDC. This was done with the agreement of the Schoofs Management & Events/Maximum Score – the owner and promoter of the tournament. http://www.dartswdf.com/aa_darts/newsarchives/newsarchjan2006.html.
It is the only major event of which Phil Taylor
Phil Taylor
PhilipThe PowerTaylor, is an English professional darts player. He is recognised as one of the most successful individual sporting champions of all time and regarded as the best darts player ever to have played the game, having won more than 150 professional tournaments and a record 15 World...
has never won.
End of event
Towards the end of 2007, the chairman of the PDC, Barry HearnBarry Hearn
Barry Hearn is an English sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport. He is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., and the Professional Darts Corporation and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker...
, announced that its players would not be competing in the 2008 International Darts League and World Darts Trophy events. As a result, SBS6 announced they would no longer be broadcasting the event, with their coverage relying heavily on big names such as van Barneveld, which then cast doubts over whether either tournament would go ahead.
The tournament promoters filed a lawsuit against the PDC and SBS6 claiming a contract had been agreed for the PDC players to be involved. The case ended in failure on 21 February 2008, and the International Darts League was indefinitely postponed. The future of the World Darts Trophy was also thrown into doubt as a result of the decision, and both events were confirmed defunct by the failure of an appeal on April 29, 2008.
Format
The format has changed slightly over the years – the 2006 competition had 8 round-robinRound-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
groups of 4 players. The top two players in each group qualified for another round-robin phase. Again, the top two players in each group progressed, but this time to the quarter-finals of the knockout stages.
Despite the presence of the PDC players in 2006, the tournament was still a WDF/BDO ranking event, with all available points going only to the WDF/BDO players competing.
Final results
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-Up (average in final) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 |  Raymond van BarneveldRaymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player... (97.77) |
8–5 |  Mervyn King (97.50) |
| 2004 | Raymond van Barneveld (101.64) |
13–5 |  Tony DavidTony David Tony David is a darts player and is the only Australian player to have been a senior singles world champion. David won the 2002 Embassy World Championship. He plays under the nickname The Deadly Boomerang.-Career:David started playing darts at the age of 25 and progressed into the Queensland State... (95.04) |
| 2005 | Mervyn King (91.89) |
13–11 | Tony O'Shea Tony O'Shea Tony O'Shea is an English darts player who competes in British Darts Organisation events. He was born in Stockport. His squat figure has resulted in the nickname Silverback. His walk-on music is "Hey Baby" by DJ Ötzi... (91.74) |
| 2006 2006 International Darts League The 2006 Topic International Darts League was a darts tournament held in Den Haag, Netherlands. The tournament is sponsored by Topic - a Dutch-based electronics software and hardware manufacturer.... |
Raymond van Barneveld (99.54) |
13–5 | Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay... (95.25) |
| 2007 2007 International Darts League The 2007 Tropicana International Darts League is a darts tournament held at the Triavium in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The tournament is sponsored by Tropicana - a Dutch-based soft drink manufacturer. Raymond van Barneveld entered the tournament as three-times and defending champion.Darts history was... |
 Gary AndersonGary Anderson (darts player) Gary Anderson is a Scottish professional darts player from Eyemouth, Scottish Borders, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation, and a former BDO and WDF world number one. His nickname is The Flying Scotsman... (95.85) |
13–9 |  Mark WebsterMark Webster (darts player) Mark Webster is a left-handed Welsh darts player who lives in Denbigh. Known as Webby, he plays in Professional Darts Corporation events, having previously won the 2008 BDO World Championship. Mark became a full time professional in 2009, having previously been a fully qualified Gas registered... (94.54) |