British Darts Organisation - Since The Split

Since The Split

The existence of two World Championships since 1994 still leads to debate amongst darts followers as to which tournament is the most prestigious. There have been two head-to-head matches between the reigning champions of the two organisations. The challenge matches, held in 1999 and 2004, were not officially recognised as undisputed championship matches. In their respective matches, the incumbent BDO champions Raymond van Barneveld and Andy Fordham were defeated by the PDC champion Phil Taylor.

The BDO suffered a blow when the UK government banned tobacco companies from sponsoring sports events in 2003 meaning they lost the financial backing of Embassy, who had supported the World Championships since its inception. The owners of the tournament venue, Lakeside have stepped in to sponsor the event since 2004.

The BDO have continued to support players from the grass roots of the game since the "split", although there have been several high profile players who have made a name with the organisation only to later join the PDC. These have included former BDO World Champions, John Part, Richie Burnett, Steve Beaton, Raymond van Barneveld and Jelle Klaasen.

Barneveld's career in the BDO helped boost the popularity of the sport in his home country, the Netherlands. Dutch broadcaster SBS6 has broadcast the World Championship since 1998 and now shows two major BDO tournaments, the International Darts League and World Darts Trophy. Subsequently, the popularity of the sport has possibly contributed to the Dutch producing more star players including the 2006 BDO World Champion, Jelle Klaasen and the 2006 World Masters Champion, Michael van Gerwen who both subsequently joined the PDC after the 2007 World Championships. A month later, long time BDO player Mervyn King (who once claimed he would never play for the PDC) also followed, showing the continuing struggle for dominance between the bodies.