Your career
The road to the top
A darts career is a ladder. Everyone starts at the bottom, and each step up brings bigger fields, better players, more prize money and more people watching.
The ladder#
| Level | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Pub and local league | Where everyone starts: the town league on a weeknight, Friday knockouts and money-ins at the local. |
| County and open circuit | Pub opens, club knockouts and county fixtures. Sticky carpets and small trophies, and the first real tests. |
| Your country’s ranking circuit | Each country has its own national ranking, with its opens and championships, and its own route onto the bigger stages. |
| The development tours | The Prospects Tour for young players, the Contender Tour for the hungry and the nearly-there, and professional tours run in other parts of the world. |
| The Tour Card | The key to the professional game. Win one at Trial Week in January, or earn one through your tour’s end-of-season places. |
| The Pro Circuit | Tour Card holders only: a relentless run of floor events in halls up and down the country. |
| The Continental Series | Ranked weekends in cities across the continent, live on TV. |
| The Elite Series | The televised elite: the majors, the Continental Championship and the World Championship. |
Other paths#
- Juniors have their own series, county league rounds and a Junior World Championship, where the stars of tomorrow first meet.
- The Women’s Tour runs open weekends for women, with its own showdown and places on the big stages.
- The Veterans Tour is for older players without a Tour Card, with its own televised majors.
- County darts: choose the county you play for on your Player page, and play its league fixtures.
- Invitation series and team events, such as the Nations Cup, come to those who earn the call.
Keeping your Tour Card#
A Tour Card is not for ever. Card holders need to keep their place on the Order of Merit, and a card can be lost at the end of a season. Your season goals on Home tell you where you need to finish. Rankings and Tour Cards.
Season goals#
Each season sets you goals that fit where you are: win a Tour Card, finish high enough on your tour, keep your card. They are on Home, and they are the best guide to what to aim for next.
Moving up too soon costs money: bigger events have bigger entry fees and longer journeys. Moving up too late wastes a season. The calendar shows what each event costs and pays, so you can judge when you are ready.