| The
objective of the National Dart Foundation of the Philippines (NDFP)
is to elevate darts as a major Philippine sport by creating a nationwide
mass base of active darters – the “Mainstream Darters”.
In pursuit of these objectives, the NDFP views darts
as:
1. Darts as a Competitive Sport.
2. Darts as a Social-Life Game.
3. Darts as Hope for the Future.
“Darts as a Competitive
Sport" is building the national and local dart
infrastructure for the "hard core darters”, the “balik-darters”,
the garage throwers and the novice beginners. This entails creating
a national network of strong local dart organizations to mobilize
suitable dart venues, organize dart activities such as dart leagues,
dart tournament and having yearly calendar of events, which are
recurrent predictable happenings to rev up for.
“Darts as a Social-Life
Game" involves integrating darts into normal
patterns of living: work-friendly, family-friendly, school-friendly
and putting darts into the people’s recreation and entertainment
equation.
“Darts as Hope
for the Future" is laying the groundwork for
advancing darters’ aspirations and careers, building darts
as a major sport in the public eye and creating darting heroes on
the same pedestal as billiards and bowling. |
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| AN
OVERVIEW OF THE DYNAMICS OF PHILIPPINE DARTS |
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any programs can be laid down, we need to understand the historical
roots and dynamics of Philippine darts. This overview shows us where
darters first started playing darts, the different kinds of darters,
the evolution of the mainstream darters and the predicaments and
problems encountered that hamper the growth of Philippine darts.
The NDFP invested P100,000 to make
the following market researches by Vicente R. Valdellon of VRV Management
and Property Consultancy, Inc. in July 2003 to objectively understand
the Philippine dart market.
1.) The Darting Milieu and the Prospect for Market Expansion
2.) Darts: An Imaging Study |
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| The Different Kinds
of Darters – an NDFP Classification |
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| Understanding
the aspirations and motivations of the different kinds of darters’
profile help us pinpoint the strategies to integrate them into the
mainstream dart activities.
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“Garage Throwers”
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These are
the darters who play at home, in their garage, among friends
and family. They play at home due to the following reasons:
they lack the confidence to play in the mainstream, they see
darts as a hobby and a social competitive game or there are
no dart activities in their locale. |
• “Novato Darters” –
the Novice / Beginners
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These are the darters who are new in the mainstream darting
activities of dart tournaments and dart leagues. They are
either the direct products of the breeding ground of darters
who seek a competitive environment or the garage throwers
who have gained confidence to compete. |
• “Hobbyist and Enthusiasts”
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These are
the darters who continuously play darts in the mainstream
arena for the social value and fun of playing darts. |
• “Hard Core Darters”
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These are
the serious, competitive darters who regularly practice and
play in the mainstream dart activities. |
• “Mainstream Darters”
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This is the
sum total of the darters who play in the mainstream dart activities
such as the pub games, weekly tournaments, dart leagues and
major tournaments on a regular basis. |
• “Hibernating Darters”
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These are
the darters who stopped playing darts. They may be from the
mainstream darters who stopped due to various reasons or from
the institutional darters who wait for the next dart activity
in their respective institutions. |
• “Balik Darters”
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These are the darters who played
darts, stopped playing and revived playing darts again. |
• “Non-Darters”
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These are all others who have never
played darts before. |
The “Natural Breeding Ground of Darters”
Market research shows that the Filipino darters came from what we
call the “natural breeding grounds of darts”. These
are the institutions where darters first learned how to play darts.
• 46% Barangays
• 24% Government Agencies / Corporations
• 17% Dart Venues / Clubs
• 13% Schools
Herein is the simplified link that
will show the evolution of the mainstream darters starting from
the natural breeding grounds and the intervention programs to expand
the mainstream darters.
The Evolution of the Mainstream
Darters
Market
Intervention Programs / Building the Local infrastructure
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| Build
the Philippine National Dart Infrastructure |
The propagation and explosion
of darts will only materialize when the proper structures and programs
are in place. The NDFP supports the creation of the national dart
infrastructure and the strengthening and creation of local dart
associations that will build the local dart infrastructure.
1. Strengthen and Support Local Dart Associations
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The nationwide development
of darts will come from strong, autonomous, empowered and
well-informed local dart associations that will spearhead
the local dart development with the support, guidance and
direction of the NDFP. A mutual support network of the different
dart associations nationwide and the NDFP will be established
to strengthen and complement the local and national plans
and programs.
Historically there is no support and encouragement for the
establishment of local dart organizations. There is no direction,
support and vision to propagate darts through the local
organizations. This has hampered very significantly the
impetus for local organizing efforts for there are no unified
and standard practices to this effect.
The local dart structure
entails a local dart association / club, viable dart venues
and continuing dart activities. The interplay of these three
factors will keep darts alive in any place. Take out any
one of these factors and darts will decline.
The intervention thrust of
the local organization has been laid down previously in
the section on Building the Local Infrastructure.
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| NDFP
Areas Of Intervention |
| The reality
of the dart environment looks bleak. |
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The
natural growth of darts has declined. In lieu of darts we see
the tremendous growth of badminton and billiards. |
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The
millions of sponsorship money dried up. The withdrawal of the
sole major sponsor adversely affected darts activities. |
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There
is no national dart infrastructure to sustain dart activities.
The local dart organizations are not developed and there is
no national program and direction for dart development. |
The natural growth of darts we have seen before has waned. Innovative
and realistic market intervention is needed.
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The NDFP fully
supports the creation and strengthening of the local dart
associations. The publication of the Dart Reference Manual,
formation of regional coordinators / managers, organizing
power point presentations in Visayas and Mindanao and the
planned accreditation programs are concrete examples of the
NDFP’s commitment of support. |
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NDFP Darts Reference Manual |
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The NDFP realized the
lack of dart materials and compiled the NDFP
Darts Reference Manual. The manual provides basic tools
for organizing local darts organizations / associations and
understanding, organizing and launching dart leagues and dart
tournaments. This is the only available comprehensive Philippine
material related to dart organizations, leagues and tournaments.
This manual is integrated in this website. |
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NDFP Regional Coordinators / Managers |
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The NDFP envisions a national
dart organizational structure where the country is divided
into manageable and realistic dart regions and areas led by
the regional coordinators / managers. This is to accelerate
implementation of dart development programs and to address
the needs and requirements of each region. Basis for regionalization
will be dependent on the area’s level and stage of organizational
maturity and its dart population base. The initial thrust
for regionalization was made in the latter part of 2004 as
a pilot project for a national regionalization program.
The positions of the Northern
and Southern Mindanao NDFP Regional Coordinatoras / Managers
were created:
1.) To oversee the creation and the support network of the
local dart organizations,
2.) To stimulate and initiate dart activities and
3.) To aid the NDFP in formulating national policies and guidelines.
An NDFP Middle East Regional
Coordinator was created this year to aid and guide the NDFP
in integrating our overseas Filipino darters and ultimately
to provide a support network for our overseas Filipino workers
/ darters. |
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NDFP Program for Accredited Tournament
Directors and Coaches |
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The lack of trained tournament
directors has significantly held back the pace of institutionalizing
major tournaments and setting the standards of dart tournaments.
It is a travesty, bordering on the criminal, that after twenty
years this know-how is limited to only few individuals to
the detriment of the sport.
To address this need the NDFP
will establish a Dart Center for Excellence offering an accreditation
program for tournament directors, dart coaches and instructors.
This will be implemented once we see the growth of the affiliated
local dart organizations.
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2. NDFP National and Major Tournaments
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The strength of a national
dart infrastructure is the continuous holding of major dart
tournaments nationwide. The NDFP envisions a year-long calendar
of major tournaments through out the Philippines presented
by the local dart organizations. The NDFP encourages and supports
the once a year major tournament organized by the local dart
organizations to be recognized and integrated in the NDFP
National Ranking System, known as the NDFP
Performance Points. There are no sanctioning fees to be
included in the Performance Points. The NDFP will present a yearlong
Calendar of Events which is
recurrent and predictable for darters to continuously prepare
for. For 2006, the calendared events of major tournaments
in Mindanao will reach a minimum of 1.2 million in total cash
prize. This is the product of the active support of the NDFP
machinery generated by the NDFP Regional Coordinators / Managers
and the affiliated local dart organizations. As the local
organizations become more established and organized we foresee
more major tournaments in the future, not only in Mindanao,
but on a national basis.
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3. Create a Positive Image for Darts
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The thrust of a nationwide
dart revival is to regenerate a positive image for darts.
“Darts should transcend the image of smoke filled bars
and as a pastime for drinking.” Market researches showed
a negative perception for the sports of darts and not until
this image and perception changes, the expansion of darts
will be limited. The public should see the competitiveness
and the positive social enhancement that darts can provide. |
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TV Darts Specials |
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The NDFP invested in the
TV darts specials of the free registration Darterong
Pinoy 2003, Darterong
Pinoy 2004 and the 38th Araw
ng Agusan del Norte P400,000 National Darts Classic of 2005
to create a positive image for darts and to propel darts as
a major sport in the public eye. The continuing replays of
the TV specials in Prime Channel project darts as a thriving
wholesome family sport and hopefully alleviates the negative
perception people have about darts. NDFP is cultivating media
partners to maximize the exposure of darts to the general
public. TV specials will be produced at least once a year. |
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Dart Mall Tour |
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The Dart
Mall Tour of 2004 was undertaken to enhance the image
of darts, propagate the sport and expose darts to the general
public. One of the goals of the Dart Mall Tour is to integrate
dart-playing into the entertainment and social lives of people
and their normal social-life venues. The Sunday afternoon
mall tournament is to make darts family-friendly minimizing
the negative perception of darts as an “inuman”
game that goes into the wee hours of the morning. |
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NDFP Website |
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The main thrust of this
website is to showcase and uplift Philippine darts to the
general public, present the rationale of the NDFP’s
direction, recognize darter’s performance, provide information
to darters and to secure feedback from darters. |
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