History in Darts: All About the Women's Darts Game

It took a while to build up the gumption to write about the women’s darts game in America. Far be it from me to suppose ladies' experience on the recreational or tournament level. Being a coach, I knew I could start with the history and data before getting into the experiences of women who play.

Finally, I have long held that this game does not discriminate, and I firmly believe that on the actual oche, it doesn’t. That is not the whole picture. All of us, including the ladies, have to feel comfortable getting to the oche first.

As is the case in the United Kingdom, there are fewer women than men playing at the top darts ranks. At one of the larger American tournaments recently the Virginia Beach Classic, the men had 257 entries in singles 501. Women's darts had only 116.

There are far fewer women playing on the recreational levels too. In the New York Dart League, which is a decent size, 39 of the 391 players (10%) were female last season. That percentage has been roughly maintained in their Monday and Tuesday night leagues for some time. But why? I have long maintained that the game of darts doesn’t discriminate, but perhaps I stated that too simply. The activity of throwing darts at a board certainly does not discriminate, but sadly there hasn't always been the opportunity for women's darts to shine.

Whether it be The News of The World tournament not having a women’s darts event until its last year of existence or men telling women they didn’t belong in clubs where darts were played, women have been playing catchup on the men, much in the same way that Americans have been playing catchup on the British. It has been because of a historical lack of opportunity. Not feeling welcome is certainly enough to lower turnout.

For a deeper dive into some interesting tidbits on the history of women's darts, no one does darts history like the indomitable Dr. Patrick Chaplin.

Watch the monumental final match of the 2012 Women's Darts World Championship where Stacy Bromberg reigned victorious. This gained her invites to The Grand Slam and other PDC events where she played against the men.

The bar is getting pushed higher again by the likes of Paula Murphy and Cali West, annually two of the top women in women's darts for the past 10 years. To give you perspective, Paula beat Cali 5-2 in the 501 singles final of the 2023 Las Vegas Open. Paula averaged 72.75 to Cali’s 67.13. To give further perspective on where that bar exists globally, in the final of the same event in 2024, with international women entries (based on ADO/WDF ranked events changes) Fallon Sherrock beat Deta Hedman also by 5-2, with Fallon’s average at 85.32 to Deta’s 76.72. (We owe a debt of gratitude to DartConnect and USA Darts for the transparency. Without the data and the video much gets lost to history.)

This disparity in women's darts is not unique to American women. American men have a disparity between them and the world’s best men as well. So as a matter of opportunity, American women are unfortunately playing catchup on the cultural and gender divide, but it is beginning to change.

In talking with two highly competitive touring women — Tracy Feiertag and Jenn Cocchi — they were both very open and honest about what needs to be done to compete across the country as women's darts players. Being friends and teammates in league play, they gave me unique insights into the women’s darts game and what it takes to be successful. Overall they both see better etiquette in the women’s darts game. 

“Women are more courteous to each other," said Freiertag.

“Many times, when touring the country, my women's darts friends and I talk shop. What’s the best out for this, maybe I should have done this or that (with a setup)," said Cocchi.

Tracy and Jenn, as well as other women's darts league players, all gave me their version of the same expression when talking about dealing with some male behavior. They all manage challenging behavior differently, but the short of it all is that you need to have thick skin. It is not to excuse men from acting inappropriately, but women have an extra bit of a needle they need to tune out.

In that regard, women are more civil on the line. Women don’t lash out, vent, or express disgust after bad turns, and don’t seem to get overly excited on the good turns. They stay level, the way a solid darts player should.

Tracy and Jenn both agreed if you, as a woman, want to get better, you have to play against “the men”. While this is what they said, their answer was more nuanced than it appears at face value. It’s about playing better players than themselves, and it just so happens that more men are averaging in the 60s with the 3-dart averages. It’s about not being afraid to play with and amongst the better players.

Tracy and Jenn are incredibly professional when applying their craft. I have worked with them both and have seen firsthand their desire to improve and their resolve to work past the challenging moments. They are not good because they worked with me — they were both quite good before me. But, their willingness to put past successes behind them and look for ways to improve on the margins has kept them among the nation’s highly ranked players. They want it, and their time with me is just one bit of testimony to their quests for improvement and self-mastery.

On the whole, I have found the women I work with much more receptive initially than the men. There is still hardheaded skepticism that comes from some of the older men. Perhaps it's the “old dog, new tricks” adage at play. Women who seek to improve have always become more amenable and adaptable. Some men need that magical “light bulb” moment before being won over with the value of instruction.

Tracy Feiertag is no stranger to the darts livestreaming world over at USA Darts, the sister company to A-Z Darts. Watch some of her most impressive matches with the videos below.

Wanna watch more dart matches and interviews of women's darts events? Watch all women's darts live streams on USA Darts on Youtube, where they showcase America's best in head-to-head matches and tournaments playlists.

Living and working in New York City, the volume of female players is higher than most locales. As an instructor, I would like nothing more than to help make a lady one of the best in the country. I have said as much to a few. That is not me bloviating; there are ladies here who are hungry. While I am being sincere, what gets lost is the fact that the current standard to do so is not as insurmountable as it may seem.

If you want to tour and be among the country’s best women's darts players (by 2024's stats), a 27-dart average (55.67) will put you in the top 10 in the country. Bump that up to a 24-dart average (62.63) and you are likely a top 3 player. Jenn and Tracy were in complete agreement seeing these numbers in action.

Most players (men and women) think about “who” they have to beat as opposed to the level they need to be on. They get so consumed by the apprehension of playing highly ranked names that they don’t pause to assess what level needs to be practiced for. It CAN be done.

Women shouldn’t have to “deal” with men while playing darts. That was a recurring theme with many women I talked to along the way while researching this topic. I couldn’t believe how many women felt uncomfortable by teammates who masked their desire to connect with the pretense of team practice. I have heard stories of sexist and misogynistic comments. There have been inappropriate texts and emojis, and unfortunately inappropriate, unwanted drunken advances. IT NEEDS TO STOP.

At a minimum, there are times when stronger women's darts players have had to deal with male Luck Of The Draw partners who insisted on going first despite not being as good as their female partners. As a country, as a culture, and as a community, we should be past comments like, “You’re pretty good for a girl”, but we are not, yet. My advice to my female compatriots who are confident on the oche is to simply reply, “I got this”, and step up to the line. Don’t be “polite” and “deferential” simply because of outdated, old-school gender roles.

Women shouldn’t have to go at this alone. There should be more male players who speak out against improper behavior. It is in part why I wanted to write this article. While articles like this could and should be written by female players/columnists, it is unfortunate to think that such an article would come off differently, to both male and female readers based on the author. Women advocating for women is important and empowering, but in a male-majority sport, male voices need to stand up too for the women.

Organizationally, just like with professional basketball in the United States, the NBA was instrumental in the formation and continuance of the WNBA. It took time, but as of late, the product and the standard of the ladies’ game have become a standalone, sought-out attraction. Yes, it took a generation, and yes, there were great players who were at the end of the viable, competitive years, but we all must play our part in the bigger picture and the grander scheme in the space-time continuum of our game. Just like there is no Caitlin Clark without players like Sheryl Swoopes, there is no Beau Greaves without players like Trina Guilliver.

Now that the women’s darts game gets more coverage, we can take a look at the successful women more easily: Maureen Flowers, Trina Gulliver, Deta Hedman*, Anastasia Dombromyslova, Fallon Sherrock*, Beau Greaves; their elbows all start below the height of their throwing shoulder. (*Sherrock and Hedman’s setup is deceptive. They measure their darts out with a very high elbow, but before their action forward, it is below the shoulder.)

I IMPLORE YOU, if you want to improve, get that starting elbow height below the height of your shoulder. Think of it as a push, not a throw, and certainly not the “chop”, that happens if the elbow gets too high.

This likely means you need to tweak your weight Distribution or Lean mentioned in the D.O.L.E. article, but it will pay huge dividends to your game in the long run if you are willing. Don’t believe the old-school hype that you are not strong enough otherwise. The energy to the board comes from the Lean, not a high elbow.

Respectfully,

Dax

Dr. Manhattan