TARGET INTERVIEW: “We want to make Raymond great again”

Last month Raymond van Barneveld finalised his move to darts manufacturer Target. He’ll now join up with stars such as Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, Dave Chisnall, Alan Norris, Stephen Bunting and emerging talent Rob Cross in Targets All-Star Line-up. We caught up with Sales Director James Tattersall to find out how the launch day went. JT: ''It was an amazing day, it really was. We expected it to be good but more people turned up then we imagined. When we look back at it, it was obvious really. Raymond is a 5 times world champion, one of the most loved players on the darts circuit, and it was absolutely brilliant. I think it set a new standard for how players and products are launched.'' https://twitter.com/TargetDarts/status/881809077835362305 JT: ''It is, and that is where we want darts to be, and that’s what stars like Raymond deserve. A football player may come along and last 15 years in the game, Raymonds been in the game a lot longer than that. That is the standard that darts is at now, Darts has become so popular, that is what people expect to see and that is what we want to show people.'' JT: ''We expected some media, particularly the Dutch media, but we were blown away by just how far people travelled to come and see this occasion. Its only when we look back at it, it is obvious. He is a 5 times world champion, of course people want to come and see him sign with his new brand and changing his darts, which is a massive thing for any player.'' JT: ''We wanted to make Raymond great again. We looked at a player who's got one of the best throws in the game, coming towards the twilight of his career, and we saw a real opportunity to help him regain that greatness and glory that’s he’s had in the past. We have completely re-invented how Raymond looks, the darts he iss using, and that has given him a real lift, a fresh burst of confidence, and we feel that we can take him forward and get that next world championship with him.'' JT: ''Rob is doing brilliantly, we are really pleased to sign Rob. We know a lot of people were after him. He is a great player and he is going to go on and do more and more in the future. It is a huge signing for us we are really really pleased and that is what we want to do, go on and sign players at the beginning of there careers.'' JT: ''I think if Rob carries on the way he is is going there is absolutely no reason why we would not.'' JT: ''I think every launch we have done we have said there is something big coming, and I do not think we have ever disappointed. So this year is not going to be any different.'' https://twitter.com/TargetDarts/status/896006152269344770