Croft couldn't stand it because the PDC did to him what he did to the NDAGB in 1973. He should have passed the Baton when he had the chance. Like Tommy Cox said "He'd done a wonderful job and it was time to go, but he wouldn't go". They (the PDC) would probably have made him life president if he had gone, a figurehead for the sport. Look at him now, kicked off the BDO board and even more bitter and twisted than ever. He will see out his days spitting venom and bile about his 'backstabbing'.
nowadays its not the players who drink heavily but the clowns who watch it in the pdc arenas. they've created a circus over there. half of them r not even bothered about the darts.
BDO is a stepping stone to bigger/better things. Its good for up and coming players to get their teeth into less competitive darts, although saying that, the recent Grand Slam the BDO players did very well against the true pros. BDO is dying a slow death, theres no stopping it, but i suspect it will cling on for many years because of the popularity of the sport, theres always new players coming through to replace the defectors and the BDO gives em a chance... whereas the PDC would be too hard.
The split is historically important for obvious reasons,you're on a video which attempts to explain it.The BDO used to have more majors & had 2 that saw both BDO & PDC players competing in b4 Barry Hearn decided to put a stop to it! why not read up on what happened to the World Darts Trophy!! also check the International Darts League!
They invite them and they accept because they want to have better competition with other people and better their game rather than playing against Pub players in the BDO... I think the BDO is still important as it's a stepping stone for young players etc.
Don't attempt to correct what im saying without explaining mate. The PDC invite players like Hankey,Winstanley,Barnerveld etc etc If a Football club behaved in that way then they'd be accused of tapping up...they also invite players & allow them into major tournaments that they absolutely zero qualifying points for!
No one forces the BDO players to try Q school or go to the Grand Slam. The irony that Uncle Barry is more generous than Uncle Olly was, and actually gives the BDO players a payday!
If Croft had let PDC have their way he could have demanded a majority stake and made millions. He just couldn’t stand to lose control. Classic case of not being able to see the wood for the trees.
They do a lot for the game though that's where you're wrong there were many nations involved in this years world championships who had to qualify through they're own country and then got to a Prelim didn't see any Philipino or Japanese players in the BDO worlds this year? Which is making darts a world renowned sport, The UK open has 100's of people taking part from Pub level to pro, Steve Bunting played in last years... They stage events all over the world.
World Championships by definition have to have players from all over the world.Guys like Paul Lim who played in the PDC this year was the last guy to hit a 9 darter in the BDO...it's not as if the PDC are finding talent they are offering more money for them should they become eligible.Steven Bunting was top seed at the Lakeside & is a 'major' winner in the BDO! you are missing the basic idea of darts-every Tom,Dick & Harry can play which makes it appealing.
They move because more money can be earned,i doubt they'd move if the money was the same.Pub players are what Taylor, Bristow & all the greats once were.I have no argument the PDC is miles better in terms of quality etc but i dislike the fact they do nothing for the game as a whole. County players for many years have been ignored by the PDC because they are not established TV names yet players are cherry picked once they make it 'big' in the BDO.I think it's called having your cake & eating it.
And the BDO voted Martin 'Wolfie' Adams on to the board of directors. If anything Adams is even more anti PDC (or the 'other side of the game' as he calls it) than Croft ever was. So a lot of progress there then. Shame that cos i think Wolfie's a great player who could give any PDC player a good game. I also think that Ted Hankey and maybe Dean Winstanley could switch after the Lakeside 2012.
hate to tell ollie croft this but it was right to happen. in the end bdo was only doing one tv tournment in the 90's. shame cause bdo was the best. pdc is ok watch it sometimes. nothing beats bdo in the 80's the golden decade of darts. but still ok now. but the sad thing today is dart players are just in it for the money. they don't know how to have fun.
Have to agree with you my friend, I never witnessed the golden age of the 80s but I can see how it's deteriorated to far less of a spectacle of man vs man than it used to be, it's man vs money now
adsy69 it is i'm afraid, i was born in 1986, but have watched loads of old darts footage from the 70's to now, off of youtube, vhs tapes,dvd's.and i love the game back in the 90's now i hate the sport.but i do love watching people play in pubs, cause they play for fun.
what I find to be sweet is that he created the BDO he being Ollie and now his own board voted him out of the company he created lol that my friends is Karma
I love how darts fanatics completely oversell the game, and it is a game not a sport. Sky sports coverage of this years worlds has been nauseating at times.
People need to properly educate themselves on this subject seriously!! the BDO stage events all over the country they give every normal pub/club player the same chance,they finance these events which obviously leads to less for the top Pro's.For them that argue who is better name 1 man other than Adrian Lewis who has always been a PDC player & World Champ??!! tell me why they refuse top County players the right to play their events!? tell me what they do to develop the game from the bottom???
The PDC look after the top players, who can now make a good living from playing darts. That was the original aim of Bristow and the other defectors. So what most players start out playing in BDO events? Leo Messi started at Newell's Old Boys. Ronaldo started at Sporting Lisbon. Alex Ferguson started out managing East Stirling. They then moved on to bigger and better things. And you're moaning because the PDC don't pub competitions? Does the Premier League run Sunday league football games? By the way, the PDC do have the UK Open, which is open to anyone and everyone, and of course the Grand Slam in which Uncle Barry generously gives a few BDO amateurs their biggest payday of the year. You're just whining and nitpicking for the sake of it.
That is an answer i'd expect from an armchair fan who has never played the game.B4 the split they did have TV coverage! try selling EPL without Man Utd,Man City,Chelsea,Arsenal,Liverpool & Spurs! if they formed a splinter league obviously the broadcasting money would be huge,then they would be able to offer 'smaller clubs' the chance to join on their conditions.Exactly like the Darts...
That's like saying Ronaldo originally came from Sporting Lisbon therefore they must be better than Real Madrid and Man Utd. When 95% of your players leave to join your rivals, that's a pretty killer argument as to who is better.
An amateurish feel to the BDO tournament every year, players look worn out and over the hill and lack quality! i find it unbelievable that the BBC commentators bobby george and the like fail to acknowledge the dominance, quality and huge exposure of Phil the power, the PDC etc. I understand they have a job to do but to keep mentioning the bdo u end up champion of the world is truly an empty statement!! lack of credible journalism and news reporting. BDO stinks!!
If any1 can properly explain what i have said below they are telling lies.So after all the hype over the years & petty ridiculing of the BDO what exactly is the PDC & what does it do for the huge majority who are not allowed to compete with them??! remember Darts is & always will be a working class pub/club game.The BDO refused the £2mil buy out wouldn't you!! they create stars who the PDC steal yet the BDO still have to pay for the grass roots of the game something the PDC has never done...
