The Future of Darts & Joining A Darts Academy Darts is an ever-growing sport and is a great game for young people to get involved in. As explained in our ‘Darts Maths’ and ‘Learning To Play Darts With Children’ blogs, darts is a game that can help youngsters learn their maths and improve their hand eye coordination. One of the best ways for young boys and girls to get stuck in is to join a darts academy. Whilst darts is a very accessible game to play and can be easily played at home, enrolling in a dart academy offers youngsters plenty of benefits, such as structured training, professional coaching and being part of a community. This article will provide you with all the information you need to know about the darts academy UK scene, delving into how the academy darts setup can help prepare the younger generation for success in darts. You will also find a list of active organisations to help those who are searching for the closest darts academy near me. What is a darts academy? A darts academy offers budding youngsters the opportunity to play darts in a fun and non-pressurised environment. The general age range for a junior darts academy is for children aged between 8 to 18, but this can vary from venue to venue with some allowing even younger children to join. If you have a child aged under eight that wants to get into youth darts, it is worth seeking further information from their local academy to see what the specific age range is that they follow. Young people who enroll in an academy for darts can participate in darts activities, including competitions and coaching sessions. These facilities are open to players of all levels, so whether a child is only just being introduced to the game or fancies themselves as the next Luke Littler, the academy setup provides a safe and supportive environment for children to enjoy playing darts. The benefits of joining a Junior Darts Academy Joining a darts academy has many benefits for young players as well as parents looking to support their children. Many academies in the UK are now affiliated to the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC), which is an organisation that was formed in 2010 by ex-professional player Steve Brown. The JDC provides a pathway for emerging young players aged under 18 to progress into the professional ranks, with the likes of 2023 PDC world youth champion Luke Littler, Keane Barry and Leighton Bennett having played under the JDC banner during their youth careers. The JDC is also supported by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the professional circuit in darts, with the final of the JDC World Championship being played on stage at Alexandra Palace every December. Signing up to a JDC academy and getting involved in the JDC darts system gives young players a clear structure and pathway to help them aspire to be the next darts superstar. Structure Darts academies will offer youngsters a structured training programme which is overseen by experienced coaches and mentors. The actual structure of these programmes will depend on the academy you attend, but many of them will analyse their members stats after a set time frame to determine where more coaching might be required. This type of structure can help young players in finding out which areas of the game they need to focus on improving. Being exposed to a training programme like this can help children to succeed in darts as they will be following a routine each week and learning how to develop their skills on the dartboard. Adults can be mentors to the young players who attend darts academies and help them to work on their darts skills Experienced coaches & mentors Young players will gain valuable training from experienced coaches when attending a darts academy. A growing number of academies will have current or ex-professional players affiliated to them along with coaches who have successfully completed the JDC’s Level 1 coaching course. This industry-backed course was first launched in 2022 and is a recognised qualification for people who wish to coach and mentor darts to beginners. The coaches you see at a darts academy will be able to offer valuable insights that they can pass on, such as from their own personal experiences playing darts themselves. A darts coach can provide empathy to the young players to help them realise their own potential in the game. Safeguarding Darts academies should have a team that are fully DBS checked and are qualified in child safeguarding. This is something very important to consider when searching for an academy for your child to attend, with academies that have DBS checked coaches and volunteers meaning young people have a safe environment to practice and develop their skills. Opportunities to compete Darts academies provide young players with opportunities to compete with others and test their skills against people from the same age group. Some academies will run their own competitions in-house amongst their own members, whilst there may also be a chance to participate in tournaments held in the local area and beyond. The benefit for youngsters experiencing a competitive environment is that it can help build motivation, resilience and social skills. Playing in competitions can also help young players with their own goal setting and deciding what their future targets and aspirations can be in the game. Gaining that competitive edge through playing matches is a way to boost your self esteem and improve your skills through learning from your opponents. Community connections Being part of a darts academy allows young people to experience a sense of community. Junior darts academies can offer this to boys and girls who become a member as you can feel part of a team or a group that all share the same love for playing darts. Feeling like you are part of a community can be important for children as it will give them a sense of belonging, whilst also helping to develop their social skills. A darts academy can provide this as they will be joining a community with other people of a similar age that have the same interests. With more and more academies being launched across the UK, many youngsters are now signing up to an academy that is close to where they live. This means a lot of academies now will include members who mostly live in the local area, so your child will be meeting new people in the area who have a shared interest of darts. The Horwich Youth Darts Club launched in January 2024 Find a darts academy near me: There is a growing number of academies that are now affiliated with the JDC, including more than 40 across the UK and Ireland. The global appeal of the game to youngsters can also be seen with JDC-accredited academies in Germany, Norway, Greece, Australia and New Zealand! The JDC academy system offers a fun start in darts for players of all abilities aged between 8 to 18. Take a look at the map below to view all of the JDC accredited academies. Continuing to nurture the talents of future players Young people joining a darts academy is a great way for them to learn the game of darts and also improve their skills. The darts community is constantly growing and academies up and down the UK are always looking for new talent to join them. A darts academy offers young boys and girls the opportunity to play darts in a non-pressured environment and, most importantly, have fun whilst playing the game. Check out the rest of our blog on the Darts Corner website, including our ‘How To Guides’ and ‘News’ sections. Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 350+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts. Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides.
