The Womens Amater Darts Circuit recently acknowledged their 1000th member via social media illustrating the impressive development of the women’s game on all fronts.
Following the successful inauguration of the ADC Vault at the beginning of 2023, participation levels have expanded at a remarkable rate. What started as merely a spark has rapidly evolved into a roaring inferno.
Now one of the most vibrant and flourishing grassroots structures in the sport, with more than 300 events now taking place every week in venues throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Consequently, it should perhaps come as little surprise that the branch designed specifically for female players, the WADC, has enjoyed an equally impressive trajectory.
After two seasons of the flagship Winmau Championship Tour, and just a single edition of the Women’s only Vault, membership figures have already surpassed the 1,000 mark. An impressive underlining of both the appetite for competition and the increasing prominence of the women’s game.
Recent years have witnessed a considerable renaissance in female darts, aided significantly by the establishment of the PDC Women’s Series, which has provided an outstanding platform for emerging and established players alike. Likewise, despite remaining in its comparative infancy, the ADC has become another excellent arena in which talent can be cultivated and showcased.
With the WADC continuing to gather momentum in a relatively short period of time, all indications suggest that its upward trajectory is far from reaching its zenith.
Thanks to new generations of stars like Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock as well as iconic players such as Deta Hedman and Lisa Ashton, their exploits and achievements have inspired many across a wide age group.
Increasing numbers of women are embracing the sport, many hoping that what begins as a recreational pursuit could eventually develop into a promising career. Entry number at the PDC’s Womens Series have steadily risen both for UK events and those held in continental Europe. Never before has the landscape of women’s darts appeared so robust.
Opportunities abound from a multitude of avenues and, with regular and highly competitive environments available, standards are naturally destined to continue their inexorable rise.
To date, only two women have competed on the PDC Pro Tour. Lisa Ashton, affectionately known as The Lancashire Rose, blazed the trail before Beau Greaves began rewriting the record books, including becoming the first woman to secure a Players Championship title earlier this year.
It surely cannot be long before others bridge what was once considered an almost insurmountable divide. Greaves, much like Luke Littler, represents something of an anomaly, yet both emerged through established developmental systems that have demonstrably yielded immense dividends.
Thanks to investment and persistence of the WADC, the future of women’s amateur darts also appears exceedingly auspicious, and the extraordinary rise in their participation figures serves only to reinforce that sentiment.
Images: WADC
