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 I want to talk about women. I personally like’em.
In fact, my best friend in the entire world is one of’em. Do I understand’em? Sometimes, yes, but then a lot of times no. That’s no different to a
whole bunch of men as well. Folks is different and that’s all there is to it.
Women in Darts are no different either. There’s
ones who play to win real seriously, ones who play to win half seriously and many more who play because they love to play, its cool to win,
but it don’t matter a whole bunch. That doesn’t mean the ones I mention first don’t love the game
, they do, but winning has sorta taken over the love bit a tad. What they all have in common these days, though, is a real sense of their game going
absolutely nowhere. You know, they have a point too.
Take a look at the Prize money for them at last years Desert Classic and this
years, due to be played at The prestigious MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a few weeks time, July 1st to 6th to be totally correct. Its way lower from $ ? down
to $? Okay, the entry is half what it was too, but why? Well, I can give the
honest Promoter answer, which is probably what the girls deserve. First off, only fifty showed up last year for what was then the biggest Women’s Prize
fund ever in North American Darts. (Canada & Golden Harvest accepted, although strictly, I am talking America, not Canada). Secondly, once TV
stages were reached the girls did not, what can I say, play to the cameras like the guys do. You know, hit a big checkout, get excited, animated, show
you care. As a consequence, Television was not keen to repeat coverage of the ladies game this year. However, they are, but only after PDC pleading
and only the final, which is a real bummer seeing as it’s ‘live’ on US TV – Fox Sports World.
It seems the ladies game forever grabs defeat from the jaws of victory. If the
entry this year doesn’t improve, then I fear for the decision to even include a Ladies section next year, especially with the Men seeking bigger and better
prize money and television only really interested in their game anyway. Stacy Bromberg is a great American Champion, a great campaigner for the
ladies game and it must be said for the sport in general. She gets on my case, in a good-humoured way, at every opportunity to further her cause and
those of her peers. She argues a good case, but why is she often a lone voice? Why, as a player should she be doing it in the first place? In any
other sport, she would be represented, if not by a manager or Agent, then by whoever controls the Ladies Game. That really is my point this month.
If the Ladies Game of darts is to survive and prosper, it has to get out of the
shadow of the Men’s game. Stop competing with the men, girls. Stop trying to get some of their action because they’ve barely got enough for themselves,
really! Take a long hard look at Ladies Golf and Ladies Tennis. Both are
well organized, well funded and totally INDEPENDENT. Sorry, had to shout! Now take a look at how Darts in general is organized and promoted. Yup, in
the main by Guys for Guys.
Sooooooooo, what you gonna do? Here’s a thought. Put together an
Organization, say Women’s World Darts. There are some real smart Ladies amongst you who know this business pretty well and I’m talking Stacy, Julie
Nicoll, Lorette Meddis to name but three. It doesn’t particularly matter whether you ‘get on’; you are sisters in a common cause. Leave your ego’s
at the door. (You may all ‘get on’, so don’t beat me up when we meet, I’m trying to get over a message here!) You see, there is no one body which has
the Ladies Game as its main and only interest, one to which all Ladies at whatever level of skill, can ask advice, get help and which can fight your
corner for Sponsors, TV Time, better Rules and regulations, and fair play.
The ladies game has different needs to the men and can play a vastly
different tune where Sponsors are concerned. I can think of many, many products that are totally orientated to Women, but wholly inappropriate to
men (and the opposite applies too). In fact, you’ve probably got an even wider spread of brands that would be interested.
Targeting and Niche marketing are today’s bywords. The ladies could have
their own circuit and Sponsors built into the current Tournament structure much the same as the much lamented Lucky Strike Series ran in those
heady days of the late ‘80’s. I’m sure the current Promoters would have no problem with it as they would obviously receive funding for allowing the Event
to run and they would see an increase in attendance of Women. Where I come from, that means more Men attend too. Ladies, band together!
You need to have a structure, of course and do not try to do it without outside
help which you cannot expect to be free. If it is, it’s either no good or has an ulterior motive! You’ll need a constitution, articles of memorandum and a
stated aim called a mission statement. Bank Account and funding are essential too. Well, yearly dues from members is the first way to go, but a
prospective member has to know what their buying into, so that Constitution, memorandum, mission stuff has to be worked out up front. Most of all, you
have to unswerving belief in your cause. It cannot be a five-minute wonder. The initiators, the founding ‘mothers’, will be martyrs to that cause. There will
be folk and Organisations who will conspire to bring you down, see you fail.
As your ex President Nixon once said, “oh crap,” sorry wrong quote. He said
“falling down isn’t failure, not getting up again is,” and he should have known! So, be prepared for disappointments for you will have them, be prepared for
setbacks as they will rain upon you and never, never let anybody tell you cannot do it.
You need to be able to depend on Commercial Advice to sell the Ladies
Game. Hire it in on a ‘No result, No Fee’ basis. You know how to run the game of Darts, you don’t, with respect, know how to run the game of
business. Get your statistics together in terms of how many play, where they play, who they are demographically, what they buy, own, need, Where they
shop, bank, go on vacation. Are they married, divorced, single and just having fun? These Stats are the bullets for your gun, without them, you
cannot shoot to kill.
One of my major observations of Darts in general and Ladies Darts in
particular is a dress code or the lack of it. Men, for whatever chauvinistic reason seem to get away with bad attire more than women. Do not ask me
why, because I just do not have that answer. Your course of action, Ladies, is to have a code and quick and show those smelly, badly dressed morons
the way it’s done. Why wait for them – be independent now. Trust me, Sponsors will notice real quick and, as a Seeker and Seller of Sponsorship, I
know to whom I would bring a client if you had implemented such a code.
Oh yes, a behaviour code is a very close second in the requirements stake
too. You are, after all ‘Ladies’. Lets outlaw the drunkenness, the bad language and the bad Sports. What do you mean, it doesn’t happen!!
Now if what I have said in the preceding paragraphs meet with cackles of
derisive laughter from some quarters of the Ladies Game, and its bound too,
then those are the ‘ladies’ who do not get to play. They stay in the old order
and are no part of the future. Sponsors will come and you must be prepared to bend to their needs and aspirations, never be that rigid on formats that you
can’t deliver the bargain.
You know, the more I think about it, the more it’s you’re only way to go. How
much longer are you going to sit around waiting for Men to decide what their
Prize money is before deciding what’s left is for the Ladies. I know, I’ve been
at those meetings. Get organized as your strength is together. Alone you will fail. Collective bargaining has always been stronger. An Organized Ladies
Games is a very attractive proposition in every sense - Commercially, Ethically, and Spiritually.
I’ll gladly talk it over with any and all of you at the MGM, but only if you show
up and there lies the problem. I didn’t write this piece just to get you to enter
Desert Classic II. I wrote it because I genuinely believe my views are valid, but your enthusiasm for your sport should be mirrored by your desire to compete.
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