How to run a darts league

1. Choose the format

Start with who plays. Singles leagues are the easiest to run and the fairest way to find the best player. Pairs leagues are more social and work well when numbers are uneven. Team leagues, where each fixture is several singles and pairs games between two teams, suit leagues between pubs or clubs.

Then decide how often everyone meets. In a single round robin each entry plays every other entry once. In a double round robin they meet twice, home and away, which is fairer and fills a longer season.

• Short season or a big group: single round robin.
• Winter season with 8–10 entries: double round robin.
• More than 12 entries: split into divisions by ability, with promotion and relegation at the end of the season.
• Want a finale? Add a knockout cup or playoffs for the top four.

2. Decide how big each division is

The number of entries sets the length of the season. With n entries, a single round robin has n − 1 rounds (n with an odd number, because of the bye) and n × (n − 1) / 2 matches. Six to ten entries per division keeps the season to a sensible length and the table interesting to the end.

3. Fix the night and the calendar

Pick one regular night and keep it. A fixed night is what turns a league into a habit. Count the rounds, then add spare weeks: one catch-up week for every five or six rounds absorbs illness, holidays and postponed matches without stretching the season.

Check the calendar for bank holidays, school holidays and big darts on television. Nobody wants to play their league match during the World Championship final.

4. Draw the fixtures

Use a round-robin draw so everyone meets everyone, nobody plays twice on one night and the byes are shared fairly. With several boards, put the matches of each round on boards so you know how long the night will take. Publish the full fixture list before the season starts, so players can sort out clashes early.

Draw your fixtures now with the free generator →

5. Agree the match format

Most amateur leagues play 501, straight in and double out. Decide how many legs a match is: best of three keeps a busy night moving, best of five is a better test. At pub level a leg of 501 takes roughly 8–10 minutes, so a best-of-five match is about half an hour.

Write down who throws first (a throw at the bull, or the home player in the first leg and alternating after that) and whether a deciding leg is thrown for again.

6. Set the points and tie-breakers

Keep the points simple: two points for a win is the most common, and with an even number of legs you can give one point for a draw. Agree the tie-breakers before the season, in order. A common order is points, then leg difference, then the head-to-head result, then legs won.

7. Write down the house rules

Most league arguments come from things nobody agreed in advance. A short page of rules, shared before the first night, prevents nearly all of them.

• No-shows: how long to wait, and what a walkover counts as (for example 3–0 in legs).
• Postponements: how much notice, and the deadline for playing the match.
• Scoring: the score stands once both players have agreed it and the next player has thrown.
• Board and oche: the standard 1.73 m to the centre of the bull and 2.37 m to the oche.
• Disputes: who decides, so it is settled on the night.

8. Keep results and the table up to date

A table that is a week out of date kills interest. Either collect every result on the night and update the spreadsheet straight away, or let the players score their matches in an app that updates the table, the leg difference and the stats by itself. Publish the table where everyone can see it, and post the round's results the same evening.