Professional Dart Players Association
Encyclopedia
The Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) is an organisation for professional dart players. Its intention is to look after the interests of professional players through an annually elected Board of six current professionals.
, Cliff Lazarenko
, Dave Whitcombe
and Tony Brown
. As darts was beginning to decline, players from the PDPA eventually set up the World Darts Council (which is now the Professional Darts Corporation
) to run their own tournaments. The PDPA remained effectively a players union.
The players who remained with the British Darts Organisation
, the game's governing body formed their own "players union", the International Darts Players Association (the IDPA)
in 1992/93, eligibility for tournaments is somewhat complicated and possibly controversial. To play in a PDC tournament, usually you must be a member of the PDPA. To play in a BDO / WDF tournament, you must agree to comply with the rules of the 1997 Tomlin Order, which effectively means not become a member of the PDPA. Players therefore usually had 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 anamolies such as BDO player (at the time) Michael van Gerwen
winning the PDC Open Holland in 2006.
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.
(chairman), David Pomfret (Secretary), Alan Warriner-Little
, Andy Scott, Andrew Tweedale and Chris Sargeant.
Membership of the PDPA is open to all players of the appropriate standard, with an initial joining fee of £200 and a yearly membership fee of £175. There are around 300 members of the PDPA, who all have the right to qualify and play in PDC Premier televised tournaments.
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World Darts Championship, Stan James World Matchplay and Sky Bet World Grand Prix have qualifiers which are exclusive to PDPA members.
11 Phil Taylor
5 Raymond van Barneveld
4 Colin Lloyd
3 Wayne Mardle
2 Adrian Lewis
2 Terry Jenkins
2 Ronnie Baxter
2 John Part
1 Mark Dudbridge
1 Dennis Priestley
1 Barrie Bates
1 Andy Hamilton
1 Peter Manley
1 Jelle Klaasen
1 Andy Smith
1 Denis Ovens
1 Roland Scholten
1 James Wade
Formation
The PDPA was initially formed in the early 1980s with the main protagonists being John LoweJohn Lowe
John Lowe is an English darts player who was one of the best-known men in darts during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Lowe is one of only five players to have won the World Championship 3 times.-Biography:Lowe won the World Championship title in three different decades -...
, Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko
Cliff Lazarenko is an English professional darts player who competed for the British Darts Organisation and the Professional Darts Corporation...
, Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe is an English professional darts player who won several major tournaments and reached two World Championship Finals. He had a long professional career between 1980 and 1992.-Biography:...
and Tony Brown
Tony Brown (darts player)
Tony Brown is a former English professional darts player. He reached the World Professional Darts Championships semi-finals four times, losing twice to Eric Bristow and twice to John Lowe....
. As darts was beginning to decline, players from the PDPA eventually set up the World Darts Council (which is now the Professional Darts Corporation
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...
) to run their own tournaments. The PDPA remained effectively a players union.
The players who remained with the British Darts Organisation
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....
, the game's governing body formed their own "players union", the International Darts Players Association (the IDPA)
Player eligibility
Since the split in dartsSplit in darts
The split in darts refers to an acrimonious dispute between top professional darts players and the game's governing body which began in 1992 and resulted in the formation of a new organisation to arrange tournaments - including a second version of the World Professional Darts Championship...
in 1992/93, eligibility for tournaments is somewhat complicated and possibly controversial. To play in a PDC tournament, usually you must be a member of the PDPA. To play in a BDO / WDF tournament, you must agree to comply with the rules of the 1997 Tomlin Order, which effectively means not become a member of the PDPA. Players therefore usually had 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 anamolies such as BDO player (at the time) 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...
winning the PDC Open Holland in 2006.
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
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...
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.
Current board and fees
The six board members are Peter ManleyPeter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
(chairman), David Pomfret (Secretary), Alan Warriner-Little
Alan Warriner-Little
Alan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman...
, Andy Scott, Andrew Tweedale and Chris Sargeant.
Membership of the PDPA is open to all players of the appropriate standard, with an initial joining fee of £200 and a yearly membership fee of £175. There are around 300 members of the PDPA, who all have the right to qualify and play in PDC Premier televised tournaments.
The Ladbrokes.com
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes plc is a British based gambling company. It is based in Rayners Lane in Harrow, London owned by Bhavin Kakaiya. From 14 May 1999 to 23 February 2006, when it owned the Hilton hotel brand outside the United States, it was known as Hilton Group plc...
World Darts Championship, Stan James World Matchplay and Sky Bet World Grand Prix have qualifiers which are exclusive to PDPA members.
Players Championships
PDPA members are also able to enter the Players Championship events (formerly named PDPA Players Championships), a series of tournaments carrying £31,600 prize money which are staged throughout the year. Having began as a series of eight tournaments in 2004-05, the number of events has risen steadily each year, 20 in 2007, 25 in 2008 and 34 in 2010.Players Championship tournament wins 2004-2008
- for full list of finals see PDC Pro TourPDC Pro TourThe PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . They comprise Professional Dart Players Association Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals.-Players Championships:...
11 Phil Taylor
5 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...
4 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...
3 Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, and former player in the BDO. He now lives in Romford...
2 Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
2 Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches...
2 Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
2 John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
1 Mark Dudbridge
Mark Dudbridge
Mark Daniel Dudbridge is an English professional darts player.-Darts career:He started playing in his very early teens, citing Dennis Priestley as one of his heroes...
1 Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
1 Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates is a darts player currently residing in Bedlinog, Mid-Glamorgan. He plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is a regular on the circuit. His nickname is "Batesy"....
1 Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
1 Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
1 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...
1 Andy Smith
Andy Smith (darts player)
Andrew Smith is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Pieman for his matches...
1 Denis Ovens
Denis Ovens
Denis Ovens is an English darts player currently ranked number 29 in the PDC Order of Merit. He is nicknamed The Heat and is now based in Stevenage. Ovens is widely regarded as one of the most consistent players in the circuit, though he has as yet failed to convert his form from the circuit to...
1 Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
1 James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
- includes all Players Championships up to 1 March 2008