On June 3rd, 2005 the application by The British Darts Organisation for darts to be
recognised as a bona-fide sport was unanimously agreed by the sports councils of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Founded in 1973, THE BRITISH DARTS ORGANISATION (BDO) is recognised globally as the world’s leading darts
organisation with over 1,000 officials and a calendar that produces in excess of EIGHT HUNDRED darts events annually.
The BDO is firmly established as governing body for the sport of darts in Britain, and as such is fully committed to
regulating, organising, promoting, staging, administrating and fostering darts nationally, internationally and worldwide
for men, women, boys and girls to ensure the on-going growth of the sport for all participants irrespective of gender,
age or ability.
The BDO represents darts from grass roots right through to professional standard. As such it is all-inclusive
and representative of the sport. The BDO comprises sixty-six member counties in Britain, and has sixty-nine associate
countries worldwide. Each BDO county stages its own domestic events, with some staging open events for men, women and youth. Each county
has a Super-League for men and women and some have their own youth sections.
The BDO is administered by a board of directors, democratically elected annually at its AGM. It is funded by
subscription from its member counties, and also receives revenue from various sponsors, etc.
BRITISH INTER-COUNTY DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS (BICC)
The BRITISH INTER-COUNTY DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS (BICC) are pivotal to the BDO playing system and are responsible for
producing players who regularly go on to achieve success at national, international, world and professional levels
within the sport. The BICC is famously acknowledged as ‘the production line of darts’ because of its unfailing ability
to produce top players year in year out. Played every 3-4 weeks from September/October to April/May, the BICC
comprises forty-three English counties, sixteen Scottish counties and seven Welsh counties, which produce a
Premier Division and Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 in England and Wales, plus two Scottish Divisions.
England and Wales have 10 counties per Division, fielding Men’s and Women’s A and B teams, and each team has 12 men
and 6 women players. This produces a total of 36 players (men and women) per county competing at Inter-County level
every 3-4 weeks throughout the season. The two Scottish Divisions – Scotland North and Scotland South - are
contested by eight counties in each Division. There are 28 players per team. All counties play alternate home and away
fixtures throughout the season, and the points scored produce annual League Tables.
Each County has its own County Darts Super League from which County players are selected for each of its County
Teams. This produces thousands of BDO players (men, women and youth) who compete within the BDO Inter-County and County
Super Leagues annually.