Senior Darts: Why Can Golf and Snooker Make It Work?

 

There was a thought that occurred to me recently.

Golf has a successful senior circuit. Snooker has established a place for senior competition. Both sports have found ways of bringing familiar names back into meaningful competition long after their peak years on the main tour.

So why has the same idea proved so difficult to establish in darts?

On the surface, darts would seem almost perfect for it.

The sport has generations of recognisable players, an audience with plenty of affection for the stars they grew up watching, and — perhaps most importantly — a game in which age doesn't necessarily prevent somebody from remaining extremely competitive.

Yet attempts to establish senior darts have struggled to develop into something permanent.

The World Seniors Darts Championship generated considerable attention when it arrived in 2022, bringing some famous names back onto a major stage. But the organisation behind the World Seniors Darts Tour subsequently ceased operating, with plans for a 2026 championship cancelled.

That doesn't necessarily mean there isn't an audience for senior darts.

Perhaps the bigger question is whether we have been trying to build the wrong kind of product.

Darts Has a Very Different Problem

There is an important difference between darts and many other sports.

Darts players don't necessarily become uncompetitive simply because they get older.

Look around the professional game and there are numerous examples.

Andrew Gilding remains capable of competing for major honours well into his 50s. Jonny Clayton is still operating at the highest level. Gary Anderson remains capable of producing extraordinary darts, while James Wade and Dave Chisnall continue to compete against players considerably younger than themselves.

At the same time, a new generation featuring players such as Wessel Nijman, Kevin Doets, Beau Greaves, Sebastian Białecki and Niko Springer is pushing through.

It creates an unusual overlap.

In golf, physical changes eventually have a significant effect. Losing distance makes competing against the very best younger players increasingly difficult, which creates a natural reason for a separate senior tour.

Snooker has also been able to create a senior structure alongside its main professional circuit.

Darts isn't quite so straightforward.

If some of the best players aged 50 and above are still good enough to compete with the best players in the world, what exactly is senior darts supposed to be?

That may be one of the biggest questions any future circuit has to answer.

Nostalgia Is Great – But Is It Enough?

There is unquestionably appeal in seeing famous names from previous generations competing again.

That was part of the attraction when the World Seniors Championship appeared.

But nostalgia alone is difficult to turn into a sustainable sporting structure.

There is a difference between:

"I'd love to see that player throw again."

and:

"I'm going to follow this tour every week."

The first can sell tickets for an exhibition or generate interest in an occasional major championship.

The second is what you need to build a tour.

And perhaps senior darts has sometimes tried to jump directly to the big event without first establishing the ecosystem underneath it.

Why Golf and Snooker Have Advantages

Senior golf has something darts has never really established: a recognised place within the overall structure of the sport.

Tours such as the Legends Tour provide schedules, ranking competitions, significant events and an environment in which former elite professionals continue their competitive careers.

Senior snooker has similarly developed an organised structure. The World Seniors Snooker Tour operates alongside the wider sport, while the WPBSA recognises seniors snooker within its participation structure.

That matters.

It makes senior competition feel like a sporting category, rather than simply a collection of former stars being brought together for occasional events.

And that distinction might be crucial for darts.

The Biggest Problem May Actually Be Money

Forget the format for a moment.

Any new darts tour ultimately needs several things to survive: enough players wanting to compete, sufficient prize money to make competing worthwhile, sponsors willing to fund it and an audience large enough to justify the investment.

Unfortunately, each depends upon the others.

Sponsors want an audience.

Players want prize money.

Prize money needs sponsors.

Broadcasters and streaming platforms want interesting players and viewers.

And viewers generally need a reason to become invested in the competition.

It's a difficult circle to break.

Trying to launch immediately with large venues, significant prize funds and television production therefore carries enormous financial risk.

So perhaps the solution is to start at completely the opposite end.

What If Senior Darts Started at Grassroots Level?

This is the part I find most interesting.

What if somebody stopped trying to create a senior equivalent of the PDC and instead built something much smaller?

Imagine an Over-50s darts circuit beginning with relatively inexpensive events around the country.

Local competitions feed into regional rankings.

Those rankings feed into national standings.

Players accumulate points throughout the season.

There could then be regional finals and eventually a national championship.

Entry fees wouldn't need to be enormous. Venues wouldn't need thousands of spectators. Every tournament wouldn't require television-quality production.

Initially, the important thing would simply be getting people playing.

It's closer to the grassroots model we have seen developing elsewhere in darts than it is to creating another professional tour.

And that could solve one of senior darts' biggest problems.

Instead of trying to find an audience and then building a competition for them, build the competition first and allow an audience to form around it.

It Doesn't Have to Start on Television

This is another area where the landscape has changed dramatically.

Twenty years ago, launching a new sporting product without a television deal would have been extremely difficult.

Today?

YouTube changes the equation considerably.

A senior circuit could begin with relatively modest streams and gradually improve the product.

Good commentary.

Player interviews.

Statistics.

Highlights.

Short social-media clips.

Features introducing players people might not know.

Stories about former professionals attempting to compete again.

And importantly, coverage of the ordinary players progressing through the rankings rather than concentrating entirely on famous names.

Suddenly you aren't simply selling nostalgia.

You're creating stories.

If 500 people watch initially, perhaps that becomes 1,000.

Then 2,000.

Then 5,000.

At that stage, conversations with sponsors become considerably easier because there is evidence that an audience actually exists.

The Stars Could Still Be Part of It

None of this means famous former professionals should be excluded.

Quite the opposite.

They could become incredibly valuable.

But instead of being the entire product, they could enhance it.

Imagine grassroots qualifiers producing players who eventually reach a major championship where established names are also competing.

Now there is something at stake.

It isn't simply:

"Here are some players you remember."

It's:

"Can somebody who has spent the year coming through this circuit beat one of the great names of the sport?"

That is a sporting story rather than simply an exhibition.

And sporting stories are what keep people coming back.

Could MODUS Eventually Become Involved?

This is where things could become particularly interesting if a grassroots senior structure actually gained traction.

MODUS Super Series already has many of the things a developing senior competition would eventually need: production facilities, streaming experience, sponsors, an established darts audience and extensive contacts throughout the sport.

That doesn't mean MODUS would necessarily want to operate a senior tour.

But it illustrates why the first objective shouldn't necessarily be finding somebody capable of creating the finished product.

Create something worth investing in first.

If an independent Over-50s circuit eventually had hundreds of players, recognisable rankings, compelling stories and thousands of people watching its biggest events online, it would become considerably more attractive to established operators.

The commercial infrastructure can come later.

But What About the Age Limit?

Even 50 might require some thought.

Darts is unusual because somebody turning 50 isn't necessarily approaching the end of their competitive career.

Perhaps eligibility should begin at 55.

Perhaps there could eventually be Over-50 and Over-60 categories.

Perhaps Tour Card holders should be eligible. Perhaps they shouldn't.

Those are questions that would need answering.

But they are secondary to the bigger issue.

What is senior darts actually trying to achieve?

If the objective is to recreate the PDC with older players, I suspect it will always be difficult.

If the objective is instead to give older players a structured competitive environment — with rankings, progression, championships and eventually meaningful media coverage — the possibilities become much more interesting.

Maybe Senior Darts Has Been Starting at the Wrong End

That's ultimately where my thinking leads.

I don't believe the struggles of previous senior darts ventures necessarily prove that the concept doesn't work.

They may simply demonstrate how difficult it is to begin with the finished product.

Don't start with television.

Don't start with huge prize funds.

Don't start by trying to reunite every famous player from 25 years ago.

Start with players.

Create affordable tournaments.

Build regional and national rankings.

Give people something to qualify for.

Stream what you can.

Tell the stories.

Develop an audience.

Then approach sponsors.

Then improve the production.

And only expand when the numbers justify doing so.

Golf's senior circuit may never be a realistic comparison because the economics and competitive dynamics of the sports are completely different.

Senior darts doesn't necessarily need to become darts' answer to the Champions Tour.

It could become something else entirely.

A genuine grassroots competitive circuit for older players, with former professionals and ordinary competitors sharing the same ecosystem and digital coverage allowing the audience to grow alongside it.

Would it work?

I don't know.

But I do think there is enough evidence to suggest the idea of senior darts isn't the problem.

The way we try to build it might be.

Under-Average Darts Competitions – Good for the Game?

 

Few topics in grassroots darts create as much debate as under-average competitions.

Speak to ten players and you'll probably get ten different opinions.

Over the last few years, the rise of the ADC has transformed opportunities for players across the UK. More people than ever are playing competitive darts, and crucially, many of those players are not county stars, former professionals or players averaging 80-plus. They are simply people who enjoy the game and want regular competition against opponents of a similar standard.

For many years, local tournaments often saw the same handful of top players dominating week after week. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it could sometimes discourage newer or developing players from entering regularly. Nobody particularly enjoys paying an entry fee every week only to be knocked out immediately by a county player averaging 85.

The answer, it seems, has been the growth of under-average competitions.

The Route for Ambitious Players

For players with aspirations of reaching the highest levels of the game, the ADC Vault system has created a genuine pathway.

Players compete over a series of events within their region, earning points throughout the season. The strongest performers qualify for a Finals Day, where the winner can earn an invitation to compete on television in the Modus Super Series, subject to meeting the required average criteria (typically around 77+).

A strong run on the Modus stage can be life-changing. Television exposure brings opportunities for sponsorship, endorsements, prize money and increased recognition, all without necessarily having to navigate the challenges of PDC Q School or qualify for major WDF events.

For ambitious players, the Vault system offers a clear and realistic route to bigger opportunities.

Darts for Everyone

Not every player wants to become a professional.

Many players simply want competitive, enjoyable darts against opponents of a similar standard.

This is where under-average tournaments have become incredibly important.

Across the UK you'll find Under 70, Under 65 and Under 55 competitions, each designed to cater for different ability levels. In some areas there are even Under 45 events aimed at complete beginners and newer players.

The average limit itself is usually determined by the organiser, allowing flexibility depending on the local player base.

An Under 70 event might suit players who are progressing from pub darts or lower-level leagues and want stronger competition. Under 65 tournaments often sit comfortably between recreational and county-level standards. Under 55 events are ideal for newer players who are still developing consistency and confidence.

The beauty of the system is that players can choose the level that suits them best.

A player averaging 45 can still enter an Under 70 competition if they wish. They'll simply face tougher opposition and perhaps gain valuable experience. Equally, a player averaging 68 may choose to test themselves at open events or Vault competitions.

Another positive development is that the ADC pathway doesn't stop at the Vault Finals. Alongside the main Vault structure, competitions such as Core, Emerging and Rise Up provide additional opportunities for players to progress and earn recognition. Importantly, these events are not restricted by carrying average in the same way as many under-average tournaments, meaning players can continue to challenge themselves as they improve. It creates a ladder of progression where virtually every player entering a local ADC event has something to aim for, regardless of their current standard.

My Personal View

Personally, I've always believed that the goal should be to become too good for your current level.

If you're winning regularly at Under 55 level, perhaps it's time to move into Under 65 events. If you're consistently performing well there, maybe Under 70 or open competitions become the next challenge.

Progression is one of the most satisfying parts of darts.

The under-average system doesn't stop players improving. In fact, it often encourages development by giving players achievable stepping stones rather than expecting them to jump straight into events filled with county stars and former professionals.

The Argument Against

Of course, there are criticisms.

The most common argument is that stronger players now have fewer tournaments available to them. Historically, many local events were open to everyone, allowing the best players to compete wherever they wished.

There is certainly some truth in that.

Top players naturally want regular high-quality competition, and some feel that the increasing number of restricted events reduces their opportunities.

However, it's worth asking an important question.

If the same small group of elite players dominated every local tournament, would we see the participation numbers that exist today?

Many players who now compete weekly may never have entered the sport at all without under-average competitions. The confidence gained from competitive matches against players of similar ability often leads to greater participation, league involvement and long-term commitment to the game.

Finding the Balance

The reality is that grassroots darts needs both.

It needs Vault competitions and open events for ambitious players chasing higher honours.

It also needs Under 70, Under 65, Under 55 and beginner-level events to encourage participation and provide enjoyable competition for the vast majority of players.

The ADC is still relatively young, and not every town or city currently offers the same breadth of opportunities. Some areas have a thriving calendar of events at every level, while others are still developing.

But the direction of travel is clear.

Vaults continue to expand. Under-average events continue to attract strong entries. More players are entering competitive darts than ever before.

As long as organisers continue to provide opportunities for players of all abilities, darts remains a game for everyone.

And that's surely a good thing for the future of the sport.