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Target Darts is about to supercharge participation and unite the sport’s ecosystem — just like Spotify did for music and Strava for running.
That was one of the strongest predictions laid out by the company’s CEO James Tattersall as part of its "Future of Darts" press breakfast briefing in London this week.
Tattersall said: “The future of darts will be defined by our ability to inspire more people to pick up a dart for the very first time, while continuing to give existing players and fans more reason to stay engaged, improve, compete and be part of communities that they love.
“Somewhere in the world tonight, someone will pick up a dart for the very first time. Our job is to make sure that wherever that journey takes them, the sport is ready.”
Recently named one of the UK's fastest growing private companies by the Sunday Times, Target Darts has built its reputation on innovation and investment in darts, alongside partnerships with some of the sport's biggest names such as Luke Littler.
Littler himself joined the Target Darts Elite 1 programme at 12 years old. Fast forward just seven years, he is a double world champion and double Premier League Darts champion — the European Championship is the only major title he is yet to win.
For Tattersall, the Littler story is not one of luck but a result of the system behind it. In fact, the emergence of the next Littler probably isn’t that far away.
“We're building something that we believe is essential, a global development system for the sport,” he said. “Dedicated places to play, structured competition, access to coaching, performance data, and with clear progression routes.
“Players can compete through structured pathways, using technology to improve their performance, and ultimately progress to the highest levels of the professional game.”
Littler’s success may have lit the touchpaper for the sport’s biggest ever boom, but Tattersall was keen to stress that the company’s mission extends way beyond the professional ranks.
He explained: “We want to drive innovation to bring a century old sport into the future. This includes building the pipes that help the sport grow, creating the foundations that enable us to redefine the way darts is played and experienced at all levels.
“For decades, the shape of darts was fixed. You stood at the board, you threw. You scored by hand on a chalkboard, playing with whoever was in the room. While almost every other pastime was being transformed by technology, darts remained largely disconnected.”
So, how is Target Darts driving the sport’s transformation via technology? The company took the press briefing opportunity to share its lofty participation targets, powered by the launch of two new products — Target Arcade and Target Live.
Target Live is a new platform designed to transform how the sport is played, experienced and shared. Powered by Target’s patented OMNI auto-scoring technology, it bridges the physical and digital worlds of darts, allowing players around the world to play alongside stars such as Littler and Beau Greaves — a trailblazer for women in the sport.
Target Arcade, meanwhile, hosts a new generation of interactive games aimed at players of all abilities. It will launch with seven games, including Board is Lava, Battlesplash and Alien Invasion, with new titles added every month thereafter. Both will be available to customers at the end of October as part of a subscription model.
Not content with two high-profile product launches, Target Darts completed a hat-trick of announcements by revealing a strategic partnership with Powerleague to launch Target Dartzone across 20 venues from 24 August.
“If we’re serious about shaping the future of darts, we have to continue creating the products that move it forward,” explained Tattersall. “The steps we are taking ensure players won't just play darts, they will belong to a global community
“They will compete against opponents anywhere in the world, receive personalised coaching and track their progress over time. All while moving seamlessly between playing darts at home, in a venue or a club, in a competition and by themselves or with friends.”
Tattersall finished by summarising the Target Darts 2030 vision.
“In five years' time we want to triple global participation, have millions of connected players on the OMNI and dedicated darts venues in major markets globally. We want global brands investing in the sport and fans competing alongside professionals as part of a connected pathway from first throw to the world stage.”
Game on!
English (US)