The sport of darts is about to set out on it's next chapter, it's next inevitable level of play: The Legends Series.
Starting on May the 30th at the former home of the PDC world championships: The Circus Tavern at Purfleet, eight of the sports Legends will begin an eight week series of serious darts, each player will play the others once over a seven week period, the top four will play for the title of Legend of the Board, again at the Circus Tavern on the 23rd of August.
The Legends series is something I personally have been working on for a few years, I knew it was the next step in the sport, I found it disturbing that champions, world champions, could be dusted under the carpet, put in the cupboard, ignored from major events unless they made the grade by endless qualifying rounds, other sports look after their champions, they use them to promote the sport, and keep in touch with the supporters those champions have brought into the sport over the many years they have been competing, I see a player from some overseas country competing in the early rounds of the world championship, a player who could not beat many of our super league players, and I see five times world champions on the sidelines.
Well the sports promoters, governing bodies chose to take that path, we the champions decided we still had something to offer to the sport and it's many followers, the PDC have made clear through their recent statement, they are not well pleased, they now quite clearly realise they should have taken the Legends series within their many productions, I do not disagree with this, but, and this is a big but, did we have to sit and wait until Taylor, Barnaveld and the guys reach the senior stage ? I think not.
The surprising thing about the Legends series is, it came about through pure enthusiasm, Lee Henderson the man behind the Legends decided he would take his ideas and thoughts to the Setanta TV station, he had only been involved with darts for four years, he was and is just a darts follower, Setanta liked the idea so much they said it was a go if Lee could find a sponsor, it did not take long to secure Betfred, the rest is history.
The players involved in the League of Legends have all won a major TV event, true champions, there are two Unicorn representatives: Bob Anderson, the Betfred favourite to win the title, and myself, the oldest player in the field, the other six are: Bobby George, Cliff Lazarenko, Keith Deller, Dave Whitcombe, Peter Evison, and Eric Bristow.
The prize fund is within keeping of today's modern game: £100,000 in total.
The darts will be serious, and I believe there will be some great matches as the players and spectators relive the epic confrontations of yesteryear, Bobby George will be going head to head with Eric Bristow in the first round, a repeat of the famous Jollies Night Club World Final many years ago, the venues for the Legends series will not be five thousand seaters, they will be one thousand seater, intimate venues, where the silence of the crowd when the player is throwing will provide real pressure, the hardest thing to achieve in darts is the finishing double when you can hear a pin drop!!
What is your thoughts on the League of Legends, who do you think will be the champion at the end of August?
For more information, venues and ticket sales: www.thelegendsofdarts.com