At this point, we'd like to take a look at the players off the dartboard . The PDC has fought its way to the top of darts with a well-thought-out concept and has long since left the rival BDO behind, and not just financially.
To achieve this, it was important that the "surroundings"—the overall package—fit a darts event. The darts callers, scorers, and other positions on the PDC circuit also contribute significantly.
We give you an overview of the different positions and their functions.
The Tournament Director
The Tournament Director is responsible for a PDC event. For German events, the tournaments are organized by PDC Europe. Werner von Moltke, Managing Director of PDC Europe, is the Tournament Director in charge. This year, Werner von Moltke provided expert commentary on part of the Darts World Championship on Sport 1.
Werner von Moltke even has the power to abandon a match on the European Tour . While the Tournament Director also has his own representative, the Director himself bears the majority of the responsibility for organizing a PDC event.
The Darts Caller
Some darts callers have become almost as famous as the players themselves. The first name that usually comes to mind in this context is Russ Bray . Bray is known for his raspy voice and has been delighting spectators at darts events for decades.
In our opinion, no one screams the 180 into the microphone as beautifully as Russ Bray. But the darts caller's duties include much more. The darts caller also acts as a referee on stage .
Conversely, this means that whatever the caller says or calls out counts. The darts caller must therefore add up all the throws , announce them, and pay attention to the players' behavior .
In an emergency, he has the opportunity to intervene and “admonish” the audience or the players.
A little anecdote about this: A few years ago, PDC player Ryan Searle threw a dart just past the double 10 to win the leg. However, the darts caller saw the dart on the board and called the leg in Searle's favor.
Searle went to the board and, even though he saw it wasn't in the double, pulled out the dart, winning the leg . Because the scene was captured on TV cameras, Searle had to deal with this "cheating" in the years that followed.
At this point, however, it's simply intended to emphasize the weight the caller's word carries. Darts callers' salaries are correspondingly high, as they perform this task as their main job and are permanently employed by the PDC .
The Master of Ceremonies at Darts
John McDonald is the PDC's Master of Ceremonies. Before each match, McDonald brings the players onto the stage with an impressive announcement and welcomes the spectators on site and on television before each match.
The Master of Ceremonies acts as moderator and guides the audience through the entire darts session. In Germany, cult commentator Elmar Paulke often takes on this role.
Short interviews immediately after the game are often conducted by the Master of Ceremonies.
The Stage Manager
The Stage Manager is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the schedule . He works closely with the Tournament Director and maintains constant communication with him.
The stage manager must also coordinate with the TV station that is broadcasting the show. This is necessary, for example, to launch the commercials at the right moment and return to the show on time .
What you don't see on TV: The stage manager uses hand signals to let the caller know that a game can begin.
The Spotter
The spotter is always deployed when a darts event is broadcast on television . They play one of the most important roles in guiding the TV viewer through a leg.
Within seconds, the spotter must inform the director which field a player is likely to target next . The spotter's role becomes especially relevant when players approach the finishing area .
The camera then pans to the respective field in a flash. Since every player has different preferences regarding how they finish a leg or play in general, it's important for the spotter to have a perfect knowledge of the players on stage.
For this reason , former darts professionals such as Keith Deller are often employed as spotters. They gather all the necessary information about the players in advance in order to be able to pass on the most likely route to the TV director.
The darts writers
In darts, the scorers keep track of the leg for the player according to a set rule. This way, the player always sees their remaining score . The officials use a scoreboard , which looks the same at all darts events.
The spelling is also standardized at tournaments to avoid any misunderstandings. In English, the scorers are called "scoring officials."
On the big stage, each player gets his “own” scorer , while in smaller tournaments only one scorer is used.
By the way: In amateur tournaments, the loser of a game often takes on the role of scorer in the following match.
The scorer must (!) record the score announced by the darts caller . He therefore has no power to correct it, even in cases of doubt.
Only if the player draws the caller's attention to an error can the scorer correct it after consulting the darts caller.
The important role of all actors for a smooth darts event
We hope we've been able to adequately explain all the key positions that are essential for a smooth on-stage experience. Without these people , a darts event as we know it today would not be possible .
Darts is still in a constant state of development, so it's quite conceivable that more positions will be added in the future.
Suggestions for the future
For example, a separate referee alongside the darts caller . After the Grand Slam of Darts final between Gary Anderson and Gerwyn Price, in which the two players clashed several times, the PDC officials came up with a new idea.
They initiated discussions about installing an "extra referee" on stage to better monitor players' behavior . Darts also wants to build a better reputation in the long term.
For this reason, this step is not unthinkable. Given certain behavioral patterns of individual players, there is still a long way to go before the sport is presented as acceptable throughout society.
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