Philippine Dart Leagues

The formation of dart leagues in the Philippines is in its infancy. The dart activities in the Philippine dart setting are more dart tournaments rather than dart leagues. In the more developed darting countries such as England and the United States, the regular and continuing dart activity are the dart leagues and this may explain the tremendous growth of darts in these countries.

The National Dart Foundation of the Philippines (NDFP) supports and propagates dart leagues and sees the dart leagues as the main generator of dart revival. We believe that: • Dart leagues are the major building block of dart development and expansion. League players are committed to play competitive darts every week of the schedule.
• Dart leagues are the entry point for the novice and beginners in competitive darts. The league environment is less intimidating compared to dart tournaments because teams of the same level of skills are grouped together. This is where they gain confidence in playing darts and eventually move on to become mainstream darters, playing in the weekly and major dart tournaments.
• Dart leagues are weekly dart activities for the competitive and hard-core darters to sharpen and maintain their playing skills. On a weekly basis, a league player plays different teams and plays different individuals thereby gauging better his or her weaknesses and strengths. Thus, there is better player improvement and development in dart leagues.
• Dart leagues force darters to practice more because peer pressure within the team to play better is greater than playing individually in tournaments. A leaguer gains more experience in dart leagues for they play more individuals than one can play in a tournament.
• Dart leagues also enhance the social side of darts, for these create an environment of camaraderie and friendship among darters. A dart league is the regular dart activity and haven for the dart enthusiasts and the hobbyist.
• Dart leagues provide continuing dart activities in support of the dart venue and establish a strong and viable dart infrastructure.

Robson Dart League

The National Dart Foundation of the Philippines organized the Robson Dart League 1st Conference in January 2004 with 10 teams, the 2nd Conference in May 2004 with 18 teams and the 3rd Conference in September 2004 with 32 teams. In 2005, the 1st Conference attracted 33 teams, 40 teams in the 2nd Conference and 44 teams in the 3rd Conference.

Teams gradually expanded with each conference as more novice beginners began to realize the non-intimidating environment of the dart league. Alternates eventually decided to field their own teams so they can play every week. The player profile extends from corporate, barangay, dart clubs and mainstream darters. As players gained confidence they started playing in the mainstream weekly tournaments.

The launching of the dart league was made possible by innovative introduction of new methods in league administration. There is no Tournament Director (to minimize cost) to run and adjudicate the league. The Technical Committee, elected by the team captains among themselves, has the responsibility to decide on protests, team line-ups, awarding and anything related to the league. The League Statistician collates and publishes the league results every week.

Dart Associations and Dart Leagues

Dart associations should be the driving force for the creation of dart leagues. Nationwide, the formation of dart leagues is undeveloped for there is no clear national direction and support for its development. We have provided a whole section on dart leagues to highlight the importance and our commitment to dart leagues. Dart leagues should be integrated in the dart infrastructure of all local organizations.

Tournament Directors used to be the central organizing focus of dart leagues. With limited logistics and limited Tournament Directors, the organizing efforts should shift to the local dart associations to propagate the dart leagues. The lack of organizers and the organizing know-how hamper the development of dart leagues. We hope that this manual can jumpstart the propagation of dart leagues nationwide.

Existing Dart Leagues

The main proponents of dart leagues are the barangays and the corporate private and government agencies.

Restricted dart leagues have been going-on from time to time such as:
• The inter-barangay dart leagues coordinated by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and organized by the municipal or city sports committees and youth councils. This is a potential area for grassroots development and the local dart associations should provide organizational support to barangay undertakings.
• The corporate inter-department dart leagues have been part of the sports activities of corporate entities. But, these leagues have always been at the mercy of availability of funds.

Players in these leagues are restricted by residency in the inter-barangay dart leagues and employment in corporate leagues.

A Snapshot - The USA Dart Leagues

The local dart associations in the United States exist mainly to organize dart leagues. For example, in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a dart league in San Francisco run by the San Francisco Dart Association. Across the Bay Bridge to Oakland and Berkeley is the Wednesday Night Dart Group (WNDG) dart league and further east in Concorde is the Northern California Dart Association (NCDA) dart league. To the north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, are the Marin County and the Santa Rosa dart leagues. To the south of San Francisco is the Silicon Valley Dart Association’s dart league. A dart player in the Bay Area can play in the different Bay Area dart leagues.

The Bay Area dart leagues do no have cash prizes and only trophies are given. On the other hand, major dart tournaments have cash prizes and no trophies.

The grassroots elimination of ADO for some of the major tournaments abroad such as the Winmau, Embassy and so on, is first done through the league players of the dart associations. The winner of the dart association’s elimination moves on to the regional elimination, wherein the top two qualifiers join the other qualifiers from the 15 other regions. The top 32 qualifiers nationwide play in a double round robin format to determine who will represent the USA. To qualify, a darter must first play in a dart league.

Dart leagues are dart competitions played on a weekly schedule with a round robin format versus other teams in its division.

A division is the sub-grouping of a league. Divisions are formed if there are more than eight teams and skill levels can be classified. Thus, we see A, B, and C divisions in classifying skill levels and sub-divisions such as group 1 and group 2 if there are more participating teams.

League Format

The round robin format is extensively used in dart leagues. Traditionally, leagues are scheduled once a week, usually on a weeknight. The round robin format can either be single or double elimination format. Round robins are designed so the best team will win and the match will be fair because everyone has to play everyone else. Most of the time round robin events do produce the best team as champion.

Dart leagues can be anything from singles to eight man team leagues. The types of games to play, the match format of either single leg or best of 3 legs per match, number of alternates, etc. is up to league organizers or the dart association handling the league. The choice of combinations is endless.

The traditional dart leagues played in the Philippine setting are four-person team leagues with alternates of two to four players.

Number of Matches

The number of matches per league night should be odd numbered. There can be nine, eleven and up to thirteen matches per night. Each league night is divided into the first half and the second half. The first half in nine matches is up to the 5th match, in eleven matches up to the 6th match and in thirteen matches up to the 7th match.

Points Allocation

There are numerous variations of allotting points for the games. There is a system of allotting points depending on the type of match played. For instance, four (4) pts for the team game, three (3) pts for the triples, two (2) pts for each doubles game and (1) pt for each singles game. Another scoring system is giving one (1) pt for every match won, irrespective of whether the match is a team game, triples, doubles or singles.

League Officers

Dart associations, city governments, barangay SKs and corporate entities usually organize the dart leagues. The league officers in these instances are designated individuals who will run, adjudicate and budget the dart leagues. In instances, wherein no clear central group or individuals are involved, the team captains elect the league officers. The team captains elect a Technical Committee among themselves in lieu of the Tournament Director. League committees are formed that handle the awards, league results and other committees deemed necessary in running the league.

The function of a Tournament Director in dart leagues is totally different from dart tournaments. Once the schedule has been drawn and the League Statistician takes over the tabulation of results, there is no need for a Tournament Director to handle the weekly league activities. If problems are encountered that need adjudication, the Technical Committee makes the final judgment.

Technical Committee

The team captains before the start of the league conference will vote on the number of members who shall comprise the Technical Committee and will elect the members of the Technical Committee among themselves. The League Statistician and the League Organizer are automatic members of the Technical Committee. The Technical Committee will hear disputes between teams and complaints against individual members. It has the power to adjudicate and render final decisions on league disputes and complaints and to impose and remove penalties. No committee member may vote in a dispute involving his/her team.

League Statistician

The League Statistician will set the schedule of matches, tabulate the results and highlights and is the league contact person for updates and any questions.

Team Captains

The team leader is also called the team captain. The function of the team captain is to represent the team in league meetings, coordinate with his team and tabulate the score sheet.

Chalking

All matches should have chalkers. Chalking must be integrated in all league matches. The team that wins the toss coin chooses whether to chalk in the first or second half.

Score Sheets

At the start of the league season, each team will be provided with score sheets. A toss coin determines whether to list the players in the left side or right side of the score sheets. All players in the first half will be listed in each team’s score sheets. After the players have been listed the team captains then list the players of the opposing team. This is done again in the second half.

After the match, both team captains, affirming the validity of the scores and highlights, sign the score sheets. As designated in the schedule, one score sheet will be left in the venue to be collected by the statistician the following day.

League Highlights

The league organizer or dart association determines the league highlights. Such highlights for the night are T80’s, high outs (T21 and up), high scores (T21 and up), double bull outs, etc. These are tabulated in the score sheet’s section of highlights. The highlights will be published in the Weekly Results Sheet of the league and will be distributed to the team captains and posted in the league’s playing venues. Special awards can be given to most number of highlights, T80’s, etc.

Weekly Results Sheet

The Weekly Results Sheet is the tabulation of the team standings reflecting the matches won and points accumulated and the individuals attaining the weekly highlights. Communications and instructions coming from the league officers are also posted in the Weekly Results Sheet.

Elimination

Dart Leagues are generally round robin formats run over eight, fourteen or more weeks between five, eight or more teams.

Round robins are designed so the best team will win and the match will be fair because everyone has to play everyone else. Most of the time, round robin events do produce the best team as champion.

When setting up a round robin, you must first make sure you have an even number of teams or make the number even by adding a “bye”.

The number of matches,(two teams playing) per round is the number of teams divided by two. (10 teams format = 5 matches/rd) The number of rounds in a round robin is always the number of teams (including a “bye” if necessary) less one. (Don’t forget that a team doesn’t play itself, thus in a 10 team league, a team plays 9 rounds.)

The best way to set up each round is to put either team number one or the “bye” in the first position and then rotate around the first position each round. For example, a round robin of eight teams would look like this:

Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7               
1 v 8	1 v 7	1 v 6	1 v 5	1 v 4	1 v 3	1 v 2 
2 v 7 	8 v 6 	7 v 5 	6 v 4 	5 v 3 	4 v 2 	3 v 8 
3 v 6 	2 v 5 	8 v 4 	7 v 3 	6 v 2 	5 v 8 	4 v 7 
4 v 5 	3 v 4 	2 v 3 	8 v 2 	7 v 8 	6 v 7 	5 v 6 

Notice how number one stays in the top left-hand position and the other teams rotate down the left column and then up the right column.

Now let’s look at a seven team round robin. After adding the “bye” to make the number of teams even, we will have four matches per round for seven rounds with each team receiving a “bye”. In this case, we put team one in the first position and rotate the rest of the teams around the team.

Round1	Round2	Round3	Round4	Round5	Round6	Round7               
1 v b	1 v 7	1 v 6	1 v 5	1 v 4	1 v 3	1 v 2 
2 v 7 	b v 6	7 v 5	6 v 4	5 v 3	4 v 2	3 v b 
3 v 6	2 v 5	b v 4	7 v 3	6 v 2	5 v b	4 v 7 
4 v 5	3 v 4	2 v 3	b v 2	7 v b	6 v 7	5 v 6 

Once you get the knack of setting up the schedules, round robin events are easy to administer. You assign each team a number and send out the schedule. After that, all you have to do is receive the results and calculate the standings.

Championship

For a league with eight teams, it is suggested that the Top 4 teams qualify for the Championship. The Championship can be run using any of the following formats:

• Single Knock Out Format
In this format, the top team plays the 4th best team and the 2nd best team plays the 3rd best team. (This is also known as the semi-finals phase.) The winners play each other for the Championship. A variation of this format is the twice-to beat privilege. for the top 2 teams. This means that the top two teams just have to beat their opponents once while the 3rd and 4th teams have to beat the top two teams twice. Figure 1 illustrates a single knock-out chart:

1
vs	Winner of 1 vs 4
4
		vs		Champion
2
vs	Winner of 2 vs 3
3

• Step-Ladder Format
In this format, the top team plays for waiting. This means that the top team gets two “byes” while the 2nd best team gets one “bye”. The 4th best team plays the 3rd best team with the winner playing the 2nd best team. The winner of this match goes on to play the top team for the Championship. Figure 2 illustrates a step-ladder chart:

				1
	2			vs			Champion
3	vs			Winner of 2 vs *
vs	Winner of 3 vs 4
4

For a league with more than eight teams, it is possible to have the Top 6 teams qualify for the Championship. The Championship can be run using the following format:

• Single Knock Out with Play-off Format
In this format, the 3rd best team will play the 6th best team and the 4th best team will play the 5th best team. (This is also known as the play-offs phase.) The top team will play the winner of 3 versus 6 while the 2nd best team will play winner of 4 versus 5. (This is also known as the semi-finals phase.) The winners of both matches will play each other for the Championship. A variation is that the top two teams could have the twice-to beat privilege. Figure 3 illustrates a single knock-out with play-off chart:

3
vs	(a)Winner of 3 vs 6
6		vs		Winner of 1 vs (a)
		1
					vs		Champion
		2
4		vs		Winner of 2 vs (b)
vs	(b)Wiiner of 4 vs 5
5

League Night

Most leagues are run in the evening and since the league is run over a period of weeks, the organizer can do anything he likes. The number of teams, boards available and time are again the governing factors. The underlying factor is that the players should enjoy the games.

Whichever match format you select, make sure that it is one that will run quickly without a long wait between games, will be over in three or four hours and will be one that the players enjoy. In the final analysis, if you put together a poor format, you will probably only have one or two teams because no one will show up for the next league.

Number of Games

It is recommended that the there be nine to eleven games per night with a combination of singles, doubles, triples and team games. Games could either be best of one (single leg) or best of three. The maximum games a player could play for the night could likewise be stipulated. Again, this is up to the organizer.

Points Allocation

There are numerous variations of allotting points for the games. The most common system is allotting points, depending on the type of game played. For instance, four (4) pts for the team game, three (3) pts for the triples, two (2) pts for each doubles game and one (1) pt for each singles game. In this system, teams tend to focus more on the team and triples games since these have more points. In so doing, teams have to “sacrifice” the singles and doubles games so that they could put their best players in the team and triples games.

It is therefore recommended that one (1) pt be allotted for each game whether it is a singles, doubles, triples or a team game. In so doing, the teams would no longer focus or concentrate more on the team and the triples games. The matches now become a game of strategy.

Below is an example of a league night with eleven (11) games per match. All games are best of one (single leg). Games are as follows:
Game 1 : Team Game 1001 (minimum of 4 players and maximum of 8 players)
Game 2 : Doubles 501
Games 3-5 : Singles 501
Games 6 : Doubles 501
Games 7-10 : Singles 501
Game 11 : Triples 701

• Each game is equivalent to one (1) point or one (1) win.
• A player can only play a maximum of two (2) singles, one (1) doubles, one (1) triples and one (1) team game per match.
• First half is Games 1 to 5 and the second half is Games 6 to 11.
• Team captains will first list players for Games 1 to 5. After Game 5, captains will list players for Games 6 to 11.

Below is another example of a league night with nine (9) games per match. All games are best of one (single leg). Games are as follows:
Game 1 : Team Game 1001 (minimum of 4 players and maximum of 6 players)
Game 2-5 : Doubles 501
Games 6 : Four-Man Team 701
Games 7-8 : Doubles 501
Game 9 : Team Game 1001 (minimum of 4 players and maximum of 6 players)

• Each game is equivalent to one (1) point or one (1) win.
• For the doubles, a player will not be partnered twice with another player and can only play a maximum of three (3) games per match.
• First half is Games 1 to 5 and the second half is Games 6 to 9.
• Team captains will first list players for Games 1. After Game 1, captains will list players for Games 2 to 5. After Game 5, captains will list players for Games 6 to 8. After Game 8, captains will list players for Game 9.

Highlights for the Night

It is also good to take note of the highlights for the night such as T80’s, high scores (T21 and up), high outs (T21 and up), double bull outs, etc. These could be tabulated weekly so that the players are given the proper recognition for their accomplishments. Should there be special awards at the end of the league, the tabulated highlights would serve as proof of these accomplishments. Furthermore, although it is not a big factor, this could also help in determining the Most Valuable Player of the league.

Weekly Results / Tabulation

After each match, the winning team captains are expected to send the score sheets to the organizer for tabulation and posting of the weekly results, standings and highlights. This would entail a lot of work on the part of the organizer. First, the score sheets have to be collected. Then, new standings are calculated. Finally, the scores, the current standings and the schedule of the next matches are printed, posted and distributed to the team captains. Hence, there is a need for a statistician who shall accomplish all of these tasks. Examples of Weekly Results Sheets are enclosed.

The schedule of the league depends on the number of teams. The computation for the elimination phase is as follows: number of teams minus one equals the number of weeks for the elimination phase. For example, an eight-team league shall run for nine (9) weeks broken down as follows:

Activity				Weeks 
Elimination (seven (7) rounds)		7 
Semi-finals				1 
Finals & Awards Night			1 
Total no. Weeks				9                  

For an eight-team league, there would be four (4) matches per night. Assuming that each match consists of eleven games, there would be 44 games per night. The total number of games is thus computed as follows:

Activity				Weeks 
Elimination (44 games/week x 7 weeks)	308 
Semi-finals				22 
Finals (Championship & 3rd /4th place)	22 
Total no. Games				352                  

For dart leagues, the prize money usually comes from the entry fees of the teams and bar sponsorships (if this is home and away dart league). Hence, the more teams there are, the bigger the prize money will be. An entry fee of P1,000.00 per team and a bar sponsorship of P250.00 per team would be reasonable amounts.

The usual practice in dividing the prize money is to allocate this among the Top 4 winners with the Champion getting 50%, 2nd place 25%, 3rd place 15% and 4th place 10%. Occasionally, the situation may arise where two teams wind up playing in latter matches with one team needing a win and the other team with no chance in the league. Even with the most honest of players, it is difficult to play your best in this situation. Anytime humans control the winning and the losing, possibilities exist for less than top performance.

To eliminate this scenario, it is recommended that the teams have a share of the prize money. This is done by dividing the prize money with the total number of games. For each game won, a team gets an equivalent amount from the prize money. This encourages each team to try its best to win as many games as it can since each game won translates into a share in the prize money. Furthermore, it ensures that teams will not give sub-par performances.

For example, an eight-team league would have a total prize money of P10,000.00 (P8,000.00 from the entry fees and P2,000.00 from the bar sponsorships). Using the games breakdown above, P10,000.00 divided by 352 equals P28.41 for each game won. A team that wins 35 games out of the possible 352 games is entitled to 35 x P28.41 or P994.35.

Bracket Schedules (Round Robin)

To use: Assign each team a number, 1, 2, 3, etc. To be fair, draw these number assignments from a hat or other random method. Note that if there is an odd number of teams (3, 5, 7, etc.), add a “bye” to make the number of teams even. Thus, one team will have a “bye” each night. That is, they will not play that night. Leagues should always try for an even number of teams per division to reduce the number of “byes”.

Each column represents one night of league play. The number of matches per round is the number of teams divided by two. The number of rounds in a round robin is the number of teams (including a “bye” if necessary) less one. (Don’t forget that a team doesn’t play itself.) For example, using the 5-team bracket, on the first night of the league, Team 1 draws a “bye”, Team 2 plays Team 5 and Team 3 plays Team 4. Go to the next column for the second night of league play, etc. Repeat the bracket as many times as desired to make the season longer.

For tournament use, the same method applies, except that all rounds are played immediately, one after another. For singles play, each number would represent an individual instead of a team.

Below are examples of bracketing schedules for four (4) to eight (8) teams. The best way to set up each round is to put either Team 1 or the “bye” in the first position and then rotate around the first position each round.

• Four Team Bracket: 
1 – 4	1 – 3	1 – 2         
2 – 3	4 – 2	3 – 4 

• Five Team Bracket: 
1 – b	1 – 5	1 – 4	1 – 3	1 – 2     
2 – 5	b – 4	5 – 3	4 – 2	3 – b     
3 – 4	2 – 3	b – 2	5 – b	4 – 5 

• Six Team Bracket: 
1 – 6 	1 – 5 	1 – 4 	1 – 3 	1 – 2     
2 – 5 	6 – 4 	5 – 3 	4 – 2 	3 – 6     
3 – 4 	2 – 3 	6 – 2 	5 – 6 	4 – 5 

• Seven Team Bracket: 
1 – b 	1 – 7 	1 – 6	1 – 5 	1 – 4 	1 – 3 	1 – 2 
2 – 7 	b – 6 	7 – 5 	6 – 4 	5 – 3 	4 – 2 	3 – b 
3 – 6 	2 – 5 	b – 4 	7 – 3 	6 – 2 	5 – b 	4 – 7 
4 – 5 	3 – 4 	2 – 3 	b – 2 	7 – b 	6 – 7 	5 – 6 

• Eight Team Bracket: 
1 – 8 	1 – 7 	1 – 6 	1 – 5 	1 – 4 	1 – 3 	1 – 2 
2 – 7 	8 - 6 	7 – 5 	6 – 4 	5 – 3 	4 – 2 	3 – 8 
3 – 6 	2 – 5 	8 – 4 	7 – 3 	6 – 2 	5 – 8 	4 – 7 
4 – 5 	3 – 4 	2 – 3 	8 – 2 	7 – 8 	6 – 7 	5 – 6 

Notice how Team 1 stays in the top left-hand position and the other teams rotate down the left column and up the right column.

The number sequence used to construct the brackets is fairly obvious and can be easily extended to work for almost any number of teams. However, most leagues assign teams to divisions of eight (8) teams or less to allow for different skill levels. Also, with more than eight (8) teams, the league seasons start to get pretty long, assuming that the bracket is played at least twice per season.

Equipment

Darts
Darts used in league play shall not exceed an overall maximum length of 30.5 cm or 12 inches, nor weigh more than 50 grams per dart. At the start of each throw, each dart shall consist of a recognizable point, barrel and flight.

Dartboards
Construction
All league matches, including tournaments, shall be on standard-type, bristle dartboards with the “twenty” bed in black or the darkest color. Spider wires must be visible and unbroken. The double and triple rings must be within a tolerance of 1/16” of the normal gap 5/16” in any segment. Problems should be corrected before the match is started.

Quantity
The venue shall be responsible for supplying and maintaining at least one dartboard for every two teams. The boards must be available for league matches each week of play.

Condition
Prior to the match, both team captains shall check the dartboard. If the board is acceptable, then no protest will be allowed. However, the captain of any team objecting to the condition of any approved dartboard may protest the match to the League Statistician or the Technical Committee before proceeding with the match. Competition shall be conducted on dartboards meeting the satisfaction of both team captains. Teams may bring their own boards to the match if both captains agree.

Location
Height
The center of the bull for all dartboards shall be 5 ft. 8 inches from the floor.

Hockey Line
The hockey line shall be 7 ft. 9 ¼ inches from the surface of the board to the front of the line, measured along the floor to a plumb line hanging from the face of the board. The hockey line shall be placed parallel to the board and be at least 36 inches in length.
(Note: A simpler method of locating the hockey line is to measure from the center of the bull, on a diagonal, to the floor. The length of the diagonal, to the front of the hockey line, shall be 115.5 inches.)

The Match

Before the Match Begins

Warm-up Session
Dartboards must be cleared thirty minutes before game time to allow for warm-up session.

Board Assignments
Team names will be posted in the dartboards where they will play. Board assignments will be posted before game time.

Two-Board Format
With the consent of both captains, teams may use two dartboards to play their match.

Toss Coin
Winner of the toss coin has the choice to make the player line-up in the left or the right side of the score sheet. Winner of the toss coin starts games 1,3,5,7 and 9.

Player Line-ups
Captains shall exchange line-ups (a) for game 1 which is an open line-up, (b) prior to the 2nd game for games 2 to 5, (c) for game 6 for any player replacement and (d) for game 9, which is again an open line-up game.
(Note: To minimize problems that have arisen in the past, please make sure that the players listed in the player slots 1 to 4 remain in their playing slots from games 2 to 8 unless alternates will replace them and continue playing in their playing slots. Players who are not replaced should continue playing in their slots for games 6 to 8.) Players who arrive after the game time may play as long as they are posted in the line-up and are ready to play at the start of their turn. A player can play a maximum of 6 games. Alternates can start playing in game 6 only.

Three-Player Line-Up
A team may play a match with three players with the following amendments: In the team game the short-handed team with only three players must sit out every fourth turn. In each of the doubles sections, one game may be forfeited or, at the discretion of the short-handed captain, may be played by the third player, who will sit out every other turn. All forfeited games count as a win for the opponents. A match cannot be played with fewer than three players. All games will be forfeited with less than three players.

Playing the Match

Basic Configuration
All games are worth one point for a total of nine (9) points per match. The first game is 1001 with a minimum of four players and a maximum of six players. Detailed format schedule for each division are provided to each team captain in the Team Captain's Packet.

Starting Time
Starting time is 8:00 PM. If you think you may be late, call the League Statistician and your opponents to let them know. The official forfeit time is 8:30 PM, but try to prevent forfeits, even if your opponent may be late. Remember, it is in the best interest of both teams to arrive in time to warm up before the match.

Practice During a Match
Each player is entitled to a maximum of six darts warm up for each game.
Any player, whether actively involved in a game or not, may practice on an open board as long as it does not interfere with a match in progress.

Playing Attire

Dress Code
No shorts, slippers, sandals or sandos are allowed.

Team Uniform
Team uniform requirement and specifications as well as the corresponding penalties for players not in uniform shall be decided and voted upon by the Team Captains.

Rules of the Game

Throwing

Legal Turn
Each dart player shoots a maximum of three darts per turn, by and from the hand. Darts must be thrown toward the dartboard in a safe and sane manner so as not to endanger the safety of any person nor damage or deface any furnishings or equipment in the establishment. Once a turn is completed, or the shooter has busted, no more darts may be thrown during the turn. No practice darts are permitted on the game board during a game in progress! A dart that is not propelled toward the dartboard, even if it is dropped over the hockey line, may be picked up and thrown.

End of Turn
If a player removes any dart from the board or touches any dart in the dartboard during a turn, that turn has ended and all thrown darts shall be scored. Example: A player throws two darts and, thinking that it is a bust when in fact it is not, proceeds to pull them from the board. The score for those two darts shall stand and the player may not throw the third dart nor re-throw the turn. Or having a hard time determining where the dart landed touches his dart, automatically he loses his turn to throw any remaining darts, and whatever dart has been thrown will be scored.

Throwing Out of Turn
A player shoots out of turn if he throws his darts out of the player listed sequence or rotation. For example: In the team line-up of listed players for the 1001, a player throws out of turn if he throws his darts second when in fact he was listed as the third player or throws first in the doubles wherein he was listed to throw as the second player. If any player shoots out of turn, and the opposing team notices the out of turn play, finish the game and then the opposing team has the option of replaying the game if they lose. This rule does not apply to teams who mistakenly and inadvertently start a game they should not start.

Throwing Out of Player Slot
A player throws out of player slot when he plays in a game wherein he should not be playing. For example: A player listed in player slot number 1, should only play in player number 1 in games 2 to 8. If in game 8 he plays in player slot number 2, then he plays out of player slot. If a team plays out of slot then the opposing team has the option to replay the game if they lose. This usually happens in the second half when alternates come in and listed players in slots 1 to 4 are reshuffled. Players who are not replaced should stay in their player slots. To avoid throwing out of slot, the team captains should consciously check the player line-up of the score sheet before the start of the match.

Position of Thrower
The throw line or hockey line must be observed at all times. No part of foot, foot covering or foot substitute (i.e., crutches, cane, etc.) may cross the line. If, after a first warning, the line is crossed, the opposing team has the option of having the turn re-thrown or allowing it to stand. The warning should be directed to the thrower's captain and the captain shall...

Scoring

Scoring 01 Games
All 01 games (501, 701 and 1001) shall end with an exact double. If a thrower's dart(s) would reduce his/her score to a single point or less (not counting and exact double, which is a double that reduces the score to zero), the thrower has “busted” and the score remains as it was at the beginning of the turn. When a player throws an exact double, the game is over. If a player hits the winning double and throws another dart without realizing the game is over the additional thrown dart cannot bust, the game is still over. A winning dart cannot be busted.

Legally Scoring a Dart
Only those darts, which have their points sticking in the board upon the completion of a turn, are scored. Darts that rebound from the board, stick into others darts or do not stay in the board for five seconds after the third dart is thrown do not score. The spider wires shall be used to determine the scoring zone within which a dart has landed. The color and/or physical relief of the dartboard shall not be considered in determining the score.
Any darts mistakenly thrown by a player after scoring the required “double’ shall not be counted as the respective leg, set or match is considered concluded by the dart scoring the required “double” .

League Organization

League Format
The league format shall be dependent on the number of teams and number of weeks allotted for the conference. The following standard practices shall be applied:
- Elimination - round robin
- Play-offs - none cash games
- Semi-finals - cross over or Top 4 Eliminations - round robin
- Finals - winners of the Semi-finals or Top 2 of the Top 4 Eliminations

Match Format
- There are a total of nine (9) games per match. Every win is one (1) point.
- All games are best of one. Games are as follows:
Game 1: Team Game 1001 open line-up (min of 4 and max of 6 players)
Game 2: Doubles 501
Game 3: Doubles 501
Game 4: Doubles 501
Game 5: Doubles 501
Game 6: 4-Man Team 701
Game 7: Doubles 501
Game 8: Doubles 501
Game 9: Team Game 1001 open line-up (min of 4 and max of 6 players)
- Team captains will both sign the score sheet and leave one copy for the League Statistician. If the League Statistician is not present, the score sheet may be left with the venue cashier.

League Highlights
- The following are the league highlights:
8T0
7T1 (all Triple 19 only)
High score 2T1 and over
High score 2T1 and over
Double Bull out
- All highlights should be listed beside the player's name in the score sheet. List down the scores made such as 3T3, 4T2, 5O DB out, etc.
- All highlights will be posted in the Weekly League Results and will be used as the basis for the Special Awards.

Technical Committee
The team captains before the start of the league conference will vote on the number of members who shall comprise the Technical Committee and will elect the members of the Technical Committee among themselves. The League Statistician and the League Organizer are automatic members of the Technical Committee. The Technical Committee will hear disputes between teams and complaints against individual members. It has the power to adjudicate and render final decisions on league disputes and complaints and to impose and remove penalties. No committee member may vote in a dispute involving his/her team.

League Statistician
The League Statistician will set the schedule of matches, tabulate the results and highlights and is the league contact person for updates and any questions.

League Tournament
If the schedule allows, the Technical Committee will set the event, date and entry fee for the League Dart Tournament open only to league players. This will be held on a regular league night. Awarding of tournament trophies will be held during the League Awards Night.

Miscellaneous

Personal Conduct of Members
League members must conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner. Heckling, harassing or distracting a shooter will not be tolerated nor will foul or insulting language or physical violence. Complaints about improper conduct must be made to the Technical Committee within one week of their occurrence. The committee may penalize the offending player by revoking his/her right to play in league tournaments or, in extreme circumstances, may expel him/her from the league for a specified period of time.

Protest
If any part of the match is in question and the captains cannot settle the dispute, please remain calm and play out the match. Get in touch with the Technical Committee and lodge a protest. Do not wait to file a protest or it may be too late. All protests must be filed within 24 hours of a dispute and/or incident.

Postponements and Forfeits
There will be no postponements of matches. In extreme cases that may arise due to natural calamities and political emergencies, the Technical Committee can declare postponement of league matches.
Matches that are not played will be declared as forfeits and the forfeiting team will have zero wins and the opposing team will have the maximum number of wins. Any team that forfeits a match during the last three (3) days of the Elimination Round will be dropped from the league and all matches played and the remaining matches to be played will be forfeited in favor of the opposing teams. Any team dropped from the league due to non-appearance, disciplinary expulsion and any other reason by the Technical Committee will have all their matches forfeited (both for matches played and remaining matches) and their prize money forfeited.

Additions in the Team Line-up
Additions in the team line-ups will only be allowed: (a) before the end of the elimination round and (b) if the team still has open slots in its line-up (maximum of eight (8) slots). Additions after the elimination round (even if the team still has open slots in its line-up) will not be allowed.
The name of the new player/s must first be submitted to the Technical Committee. New players will not be allowed to play unless prior approval / clearance has been given by the Technical Committee.

Changes in the Team Line-up
Changes in the team line-ups will only be allowed: (a) before the end of the elimination round (changes will not be allowed after the elimination round) and (b) if the player to be changed has not played in any game.
The name of the new player/s must first be submitted to the Technical Committee. New players will not be allowed to play unless prior approval / clearance has been given by the Technical Committee.

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