MAD launches new dawn in amateur darts: Championship Title System and Showpiece Events revealed

A new dawn has launched in amateur darts with Modern Amateur Darts (MAD) setting out their intentions during today's press conference.

The big news being the new Championship Title system which is inspired by systems used already in combat sports such as boxing and MMA.

There will be four divisions as part of this on a pyramid system with Super Regional, National, Continental and finally World level.

Any existing champion in this pyramid can go higher but automatically vacates their title. These titles will be defended on a regular basis with Super Regional to be defended on a 4-weekly cycle with all other titles going on a 5-weekly cycle.

Any player can bid for a respective title shot with a financial bid needing to be submitted to MAD which will include the Champions Purse which takes into account travelling and the right to being paid as the current champion. As well as MAD fees and media promotion fees.

The value of this bid increases the more prestigious the title so it starts at minimum of £500 for the super regional title match all the way to £2000 for a World title match giving the champions an opportunity to earn good money through multiple defences.

There are no limits to these bids however MAD reserves the right to screen them before submitting them to the respective Champion, following that, they have discretion over which bid to accept.

For each of the Super Regions, they can crown an inaugural champion which will be revealed in due course. England, Scotland and Wales will crown a national champion which will be determined through the WDF rankings.

MAD themselves will crown the initial champions which include John O’Shea, the current World Master who will face James Richardson as the first European Champion at 5:30pm this evening.

Jim Williams will be the first Welsh Champion and will take on Richie Burnett, former Lakeside World Champion. Ryan Hogarth and Gary Stone will battle for the vacant Scottish Championship.

While an tantalising battle between Paul Hogan and Darryl Fitton follows with ‘Crocodile Dundee’ defending his English Championship against ‘The Dazzler’. While Wayne Warren as the current BDO World Champion will be the first MAD World Champion and will take on Scott Mitchell.

In addition, the MAD Showpiece Events have been introduced alongside the League System and Major Invitational Events.

There will be four in all with the National League Championships culminating the league system for the year with 16 Super Regional Teams playing a four group round robin followed by a knockout.

It will carry a £10,000 prize fund and each team is made up of 24 of the best players from the three previous quarterly Super Regional Championships.

Then it is the turn of the MAD British Amateur Open Finals, which sees 64 qualifiers face off in a 16 group Round Robin followed by a knockout.

These finalists will qualify at Regional level then Super Regional and any MAD member can enter these events to qualify, with a £30,000 prize fund being utilised and £10,000 going to the winner.

A Golden Gauntlet has also been added which consists of 30 players, these being the 16 Super Regional Champions, the three national champions, the European Champion, the World Champion, five MAD icons and four wildcards.

It will be a random draw, quick format with winner stays on event with a new entrant joining once a match has been won and as a result could be won by a player winning only one match.

Finally there will also be a MAD Champion of Champions event which will feature 256 players with 1 qualifier from each MAD region.

The event will be like the previous event ran by RedDragon and of course the News of the World and will be best of three throughout. It carries a £30,000 prize fund.