Nicholson sees a clear trend: "New worldwide talents are here, more are coming and that makes for exciting pro tour events"

The worldwide growth seen by the sport of darts in recent years means that the top echelons of the game are now more multicultural than ever before, something Paul Nicholson believes is a massive benefit.

"Cast your mind back to the early days of the PDC. Do you remember when it was dominated by English players and how a draw against someone from Belgium, Germany, North America and Australia would be thought of as a bye?" Writes 'the Asset' in his column for the official PDC website. "Looking back at it now, I feel quite proud of how the standard of darts has come on globally, with more and more talents recognised, with life-changing consequences."

Nicholson, a Geordie-born World Cup of Darts finalist with Australia knows all about the darting qualities of the 'lesser known' nations. "Now that we have things like World Series, affiliate tours and the use of improved global broadcasting, we have been reaching out over the last 20 years, especially since 2010 to find the global stars of the future," he explains.

"Are we there with it yet? I do not think we are, but our reach as a sport has been widened significantly and we should be proud of what 2023 is proving to us so far, and we aren’t even at the half way point yet," he continues. "The season to date gives us Players Championship winners and runners-up from nine different countries after ten events. The European Tour gives us winners and runners up from four different countries after seven events."

So what of the future development? "With Latin America and the Caribbean next on the way for the CDC and the Asian Tour moving at a fast pace, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where we may be in another 22 years," Nicholson poses. "Consider the possibilities of Tour card holders from Jamaica, Mexico and Costa Rica. Long may this growth and prosperity continue for all who want to play, wherever they are from."

"New worldwide talents are here, more are coming and that makes for exciting pro tour events, better world cups and more widespread matches at premier events," he concludes.