Especially for beginners , it's often difficult to integrate into organized darts at first. Newly formed teams often have difficulty figuring out where to register for regular league play, for example.
For this very reason, we'd like to take a closer look in this article. We'll explain which leagues and associations exist in German darts.
This will make it easier for you to find the right darts league. You can then participate in league competitions right away. We'll also give you a detailed introduction to the DDV, the German Darts Association .
DDV – the German Darts Association
Before the first darts league, there was the first darts association. The DDV is something like the umbrella organization for darts in Germany and consists of 13 regional associations .
Compared to other sports, the association is still relatively young . It was only in 1982 that the decision was made to establish the umbrella organization for German darts.
The association has grown steadily and now has well over 16,000 members – an all-time record! The DDV also hosts numerous individual and ranking tournaments.
Particularly noteworthy in this context are the German Masters. The German Open, one of the largest tournaments in the world, is also organized and hosted by the DDV.
Important: The DDV has been a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) since 2010. This makes the German Darts Association the only darts association recognized by the DOSB. This officially recognizes darts (only steel darts) as a sport in Germany. Electronic darts, on the other hand, are not yet considered an officially recognized sport.
Relationship between DDV and PDC
As is well known, the PDC has been hosting numerous tournaments in Germany for years, regularly selling out venues. This demonstrates how booming darts is in Germany.
The PDC was originally founded to enable professional darts players to earn money from their sport , for example, by earning a living through high prize money. This leaves amateur players somewhat behind, as prize money in other darts associations is significantly lower .
There are currently only a few professional darts players in Germany. However, most German players currently playing in the PDC began their careers with the DDV .
For example, Max Hopp , Martin Schindler , and Gabriel Clemens . Many darts players usually decide to turn professional with the PDC at some point afterward.
Dart League System in Germany
Although steel darts and electronic darts are often confused, they are essentially two separate sports . This also gives rise to the division between the steel dart and electronic dart leagues.
The e-darts Bundesliga is organized by the DSAB . Furthermore, the e-darts national leagues are organized differently . This is primarily due to the fact that e-darts currently have a significantly larger following in Germany than steel darts.
Although there is evidence of a trend here that could potentially balance the ratio over time, this is still the current state of affairs.
The Bundesliga for soft-darts is divided into five leagues . Unlike steel-darts , there are only two leagues .
In e-darts there is the Bundesliga Hessen, the Bundesliga South-West, the Bundesliga North Bavaria, the Bundesliga North Rhine-Westphalia and the Bundesliga West .
The five German champions will be decided in these five seasons.
At the amateur level, e-darts is also organized into regional associations : district leagues, district leagues, and regional leagues. These three divisions usually form the foundation for the Bundesliga.
Bundesliga in Steeldarts – division into North and South
The bonuses and prize money in German darts are still relatively low. Players also often have to contend with high travel costs. Therefore, the Winmau Bundesliga in steel darts is divided into North and South .
This should at least somewhat shorten travel times. The competition will be held in two groups, the Bundesliga North and Bundesliga South, each with nine teams . The top four teams in each group will then compete over a single weekend to determine the German team championship .
If a dart team is relegated from the Bundesliga, further organization takes place in the regional steel dart leagues.
The next leagues would be, for example, the Regionalliga, Bezirksliga , or Kreisliga , depending on the size and number of teams in the regional darts leagues.
Super League Darts – the most demanding tournament in Germany
The Super League Darts Germany has existed since 2013. In this darts league, the best German players compete in a league format .
They compete for a spot in the annual World Darts Championship at Ally Pally in London. 16 players participate in this darts league. Players can qualify for the league in a qualifying tournament.
Naturally, the level of this qualifying tournament is extremely high , as is the entry fee . This is especially important to ensure that only the best players in Germany participate.
German darts in transition
Compared to darts in England, the sport is still in its infancy in Germany . This is primarily due to the extremely low interest in organizing itself professionally for decades.
The prize money was too low and the tournaments too unattractive . This has changed with the increase in popularity in recent years. Therefore, it can be assumed that a lot will happen in the coming years.
The first darts schools have already been established to encourage young talent . In Bavaria, for example, darts has already been established as a school sport in some cases. The level of darts in the respective leagues is also increasing from year to year.
This will inevitably result in the entire sport of darts in Germany becoming more professionally organized over time. Only then can it keep pace internationally.
Federal squad and support of the DDV
Since 1983, the DDV has sent German national teams to international tournaments under the umbrella of the World Football Federation (WDF) . Men, women, and youth players compete in the World Championship and European Championship .
A person can only be nominated for the German national team if they haven't been nominated for another nation in the last two years . Roland Scholten has been the official national coach of the DDV since January 2020.
In 2018, the DDV received public funding for the first time from the Federal Ministry for Elite Sports (BMI), which is responsible for supporting top German athletes.
The DDV employs a sports director and national coach as so-called competitive sports personnel and opened an office in the “House of German Sports” in Frankfurt at the end of 2018.
The next few years will show whether we in Germany will succeed in joining the world elite in darts . The potential is there – it just needs to be exploited.
Paradart in Germany
Paradart is a sport for players with physical disabilities . In 2019, the DDV joined the WDDA (World Disability Darts Association) and appointed a Paradart and Inclusion Officer.
In 2020, the DDV launched the first Paradart season . Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus crisis, it couldn't take place as planned. We wish you all the best for the future and hope that many more Paradartists will join us in the future!
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