Darts is a game that almost every Canadian has played at some point, whether it’s in their parents’ basement or at the local pub. In Europe, however, darts is serious business, and the World Championships are currently underway.
This year, three Canadians are competing in the tournament, raising hopes that the sport could regain some popularity in Canada.
Clay Birse, the vice-president of the Calgary Pub Darts Association, believes the sport has declined in popularity in Canada.
“It’s just fewer teams, so you don’t have such big pools,” said Birse. “So you don’t host such big tournaments and you don’t bring in the same kind of money and membership as you did before.”
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Birse adds that bars and pubs have swapped dart boards for video lottery terminals and pool tables, and the electronic soft-point version of the game, which is popular in Asia and the United States, hasn’t caught on in Canada.
Despite the decline in popularity, there is hope at the professional level.
David Cameron, a Nova Scotia native competing in his first World Championship, believes Canada is making its mark in the sport at the professional level.
However, he admits it can be a struggle to reach that level while playing in North America.
“Our country is so big and so is the United States,” Cameron said. “It’s so spread out for us and there’s a difficulty when it comes to travel [for tournaments].”
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Both Cameron and Birse hope Canadian representation at the highest level of the sport will lead to more players picking up the game.
“If the big guys can get a few wins and win a few tournaments, that will definitely bring some focus to that, but you still need everyone interested in really throwing the darts for themselves.”
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