‘Stand up if you love the darts!’ – Understanding the key catalysts responsible for the rapid transformation of Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) darts during the 2000s

Following the split in darts during the 1990s and a resulting Tomlin order (where terms were agreed in a court of law without admission of liability from either side) in 1997, two governing bodies were recognised as the leading darts organisations: the British Darts Organisation (BDO), and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC–the new name for the World Darts Council, originally formed in 1992). Though both organisations were initially regarded as equals, the PDC rapidly transformed into the leading version of professional darts in the late 2000s. The multi-million-pound circuit of live PDC darts events held across the globe have been widely celebrated in sports media since the early 2010s. However, what has not been explored in scholarly literature are the key catalysts that led to the rapid changes in the PDC which led to the organisation becoming the preeminent version of professional darts during the 2010s. Using a range of semi-structured interviews and archival information with a variety of professional players, media figures and governance linked to the PDC, this article explicates the key catalysts involved in the development of the PDC as an organisation during the 2000s.