Having addressed the issues of format, exposure, expense, time and travel and seeing the standards rising steadily, we were still faced with unearthing young potential. Many youngsters had now slipped comfortably into Pool and those who were playing amongst themselves weren’t getting much better because of the Catch-22 scenario of “couldn’t get into a team because they weren’t good enough and weren’t good enough because they couldn’t get into a team”, the crucial next step on the ladder. Many teams won’t accommodate youngsters because they want ready made success and there are many pubs who will not allow under 18’s.
It was going to be a long process as it needed to be planned thoroughly as a community project with high profile endorsements so it had to be right first time.
The planning stage started back in November 2005 and with the day to day running of the league competitions and Classic planning the gestation period would be around six months.
There were three key areas that needed tackling before all else.
a) Venue, b) Coaches and c) Sponsors / Partners - all paramount to success.
We needed a secure venue where the youngsters would be safe and easily monitored and we were very lucky in having the Entertainer where we played all our senior competitions. Brian and Maggie Jenkins the managers had no hesitation in giving us the venue free of charge every Wednesday throughout the year – well, that was easy!
Next, we needed dedicated coaches that would give up at least one evening a week to help.
Where do you get a qualified darts coach? I’m not sure there are any, however once word got around, we had a dozen local county, super league and just plain darts enthusiasts lining up chomping at the bit – that was pretty easy too!
During this time, lengthy dialogues and presentations were being made to local authorities in an effort to gain their approval and support. Every possible issue was covered in advance and the presentation was so thorough, Test Valley Borough Council promised to use it as a blueprint for similar sporting projects. A lot is often made about local authorities’ lack of commitment – but Luke Cope and Test Valley Borough Council were superb in their backing and enthusiasm.
We also obtained the endorsement of Hampshire Police who understood that not all youngsters were built for football or athletics and an opportunity in getting “kids off the streets” and into another supervised activity must benefit the community.
Finally, Dave Kane of Testway 7’s (a sports initiative of Testway Housing) appeared on the scene to offer not only more funding but an invaluable perspective from the outside-in and a wealth of experience and advice from a non-darts viewpoint.
With the backing of these three key players we gained credibility from the public and most importantly the parents of the youngsters with whom we were to be entrusted.
Success in a good DIY job is in the preparation so that wasn’t easy – but we were almost there!
Having negotiated the backing required to operate the first year – we were left with the challenge of gaining a sponsor from within the sport of darts. My plan had always been to approach UNICORN to see if there was a chance of supplying some equipment to get us up and running. Start with the best and work your way down is my motto and Mr Lowy and his team were and have continued to be fantastic in their support and interest in the Academy.
The foundations were now in place – next the daunting challenge of: attracting young darts players and harder still keeping their interest and development moving forward.