League Rules

Rules and Regulations

• Any player signing for more than one team will be registered to the first team that they have either thrown or name appearing on a match card as playing
• Teams can register players up to the last delegates meeting in September
• There will be two signing windows during the season, the last two weeks of November and the first two weeks of January
• Any North Belfast Dart League teams fielding an unregistered player or a disqualified player from the league will be deducted 5 points.
• Any player/team who owes money to another team or to the league cannot play for another team or in the league until that money is paid in full
• Three players constitute a team, and any team not fulfilling a fixture will be fined £25
• Teams are responsible for their members during all fixtures and league nights.
• After the fixture is over, all players should remember that they are a member of the North Belfast Darts League and should behave in an appropriate manner as a representative of the North Belfast Darts League.
• All North Belfast Darts League members must behave in a proper manor towards other North Belfast Darts League members.
• Any Sort of physical violence, bullying, intimidating, sexist or inappropriate behaviour committed by a member of the North Belfast Darts League member onto/or against another North Belfast Darts League member connected to the North Belfast Darts League and or its members clubs and pubs will be given an automatic 1 Month ban.
• Further and other offences will result in bans of six months and or one full year should the Executive Committee deem necessary.
• Any North Belfast Darts League members bringing drink, food and/or any illegal substance into the club or pub during or on league nights/events will be barred from the league.
• All teams and their members are asked to respect the rules and property of the clubs and pubs of the North Belfast Darts League.
• North Belfast Dart League members/delegates cannot interfere in any barring by the pubs and clubs in the league.
• Extenuating circumstances not covered by these rules will go before a meeting of the North Belfast Darts League Executive Committee for a decision.
• All North Belfast Darts League teams must have a high standard dart board (Unicorn eclipse, Winmau Blade or equivalent) for league and/or cup games to be played on.
• Each team can register a maximum of 12 players per team.
• Players must attend 50% of all North Belfast Dart League games from the date they joined to be eligible to play in all North Belfast Dart League blue riband events

Payments

• Registration to all players to the North Belfast Darts League will be £2
• North Belfast Darts League Charity Night entry fee is £10.
• All teams are also required to bring a prize for a ballot to raise funds.
• Charity will be decided by the team/pub/club hosting the event.
• Each North Belfast Darts League team must purchase a minimum of 5 Lucky numbers per week, £2 per ball, £10 Total.
• Room Dues will be £10 per week and must be paid in advance or on a weekly basis.
• All teams must pay a £5 entry fee per team into all non-bidding North Belfast Darts League cup competitions.
• If a player enters a blue riband competition and fails to turn up that player will forfeit their entrance fee.
• Players have until the end of the first round to show up for their game.
• If that player turns up late and misses sign I, they will not be able to play their match but will still forfeit their entrance fee.
• This applies to all events in the North Belfast Darts League.
• Cups sponsored by clubs/pubs will be run over one week and will be sponsored for £125.
• Any team that damages or loses a cup must either pay to have the trophy repaired and/or replaced to a similar standard.
• The 5 events of the League season, Charity Night, 3 asides, Pairs, Individuals and the presentation night will be rotated on a yearly basis to ensure all clubs/pubs have a fair share of hosting.
• All event nights will cost the clubs/pubs £150 per night to host.
• The hosting cost and entrance fees to these events will determine the payouts for these competitions, if applicable.

Delegate Meetings

• Each Team must register one delegate and a deputy delegate at the start of each season
• Meetings to be held on a Monday night at 7;30pm in the NBDL headquarters, St Malachy's Old Boys Association
• At delegate meetings it is one team one vote
• At an AGM or EGM, it is one person one vote
• Delegates or their deputies must attend all delegate meetings
• Teams that fail to have a delegate attend a delegate meeting will be deducted a point from the league table total.
• Alcohol is not permitted at league meetings and anyone who is intoxicated at the time of the meeting shall not be permitted to that meeting
• Any rule passed at the start of the season cannot be changed but new rules and amendments can be made.
• All decisions can only be taken at a meeting of the executive and or delegates meeting on a Monday night or when a meeting has been prearranged.
• The League Delegates Committee impose fines/bans not the executive committee
• Anyone fined by the League Delegates Committee has got 3 weeks form the date of a fine/ban being imposed to pay that fine.

i. Or they have got 2 weeks to launch an appeal, if an appeal is acceptable.

• All appeals must be accompanied by a fee of £5 refundable only if the appeal is upheld
• All appeals will be heard by the League Executive Committee
• While an appeal is being heard the person appealing can continue playing in the league until the appeal has been passed and/or upheld.
• Players must go through their own delegates and no other team's delegates.

Matches

• All League matches will start at 9pm and no later than 9:15pm.
• All league games must be played out until there is a result in all five games.
• All cup games will be played until a result is determined.
• If there is a bye in a cup game, the game with the bye is brought forward and recorded as game 1
• All Cup nights to start at 8pm, unless otherwise stated
• All teams to be in the hall no later than 7:45pm and have the draw completed and ready to toe the oche no later than 8:15pm
• Each team must have a minimum of 3 players in the hall till at least 11:00pm.
• Players who have not played in the main competition can have their names drawn first in the 701 competitions.
• Teams can put a game back in cup matches to allow for a player to play if they are running late. If the player has not arrived by the time of the last game (i.e. their game) and there is no double slip, then the game is forfeited.
• Teams will receive one point for each individual game won in league matches.
• In league games the away team will have darts to throw for the bull, in all other competitions the referee will toss for the throw.
• Winner of the bull throws for the bull first.
• Darts that land in the outer bull or the bullseye must be removed from the board.
• The two captains and the referee are the only ones who can stop a match, any match stopped by any of them, the reason or a protest (if any) must be written on the back of the match card and signed by the person stopping the game.
• Players and Referees are the only ones allowed to move the board during a game, with agreement from both parties.
• Match cards must be photographed sent into the league WhatsApp group at the end of the game and handed in the next meeting.
• The Photo must be clear and all results visible.
• A fine of £5 will be imposed for a late and/or disfigured card.
• Cup Format
• Cup Format will be a knockout system with the draw done in each round
• 2024 change

i. Due to 6 teams in the league, there will be two groups of 3 in a cup

ii. Each team will play each other in the group once 5v5, one leg of 701

iii. The top two teams of each group will play each other in the main final which will be Best of 3 legs 501, first to 3 wins overall

iv. The other 4 teams will play two semi-finals 2nd vs 3rd from each group, in the same format as the group stage, 5v5, one leg of 701

v. The side event final will Best of 3 legs 501, first to 3 wins overall

• 3 Asides format
• Best of 3, 501, singles
• Best of 3 701, pairs
• 1 leg of 1001, 3v3
• Side Event is 1 leg of 1001, 3v3
• Pairs Format
• Best of 5, 501
• Semi-Finals and Final, best of 7 501
• Side Event is 1 leg of 1001
• Individuals format
• Best of 5, 501
• Final, best of 7, 501
• Side Event is 1001
• 3 Asides, Pairs and Individuals format will be confirmed before start of play, these formats can be subject to change.
• Match cards must be marked clearly with full names printed and all scores above 90 or more marked on the match card
• The results of each game must be marked clearly along with the final games result marked on the front of the match card.
• Once a draw is done and the match card is completed under no circumstances can it be changed or a draw redone.
• If there is a BYE in any game, then BYE must be recorded on the match card as the player receiving the BYE will be awarded a 3-0 win in reference to the league's player of the year stats.
• If a game is brought forward that player must leave the premises after their game

i. Teams/players can only bring forward 4 games during the season and must be recorded on the match card.

ii. If a player has to leave unexpectedly, a substitute is allowed to be put in.

• Each team must supply either the referee or the marker, this must be agreed before the match draw.
• League members must not play any games or machines in the dart room while a dart match is in progress.
• Only the darts in the board at the time of retrieval will count.
• Any dart thrown directly after the double is hit will deemed as being busted.
• If the double has been hit and both players shake hands after the referee has called game, then the game will be officially over.
• All referees must stand as still as possible while a player is throwing. They will not touch the darts the board at any time.
• They shall call out scores hit only.
• The referee will only call for order when asked to do so during a game by one of the players at the board.
• They must also wait and ensure they do not shout during the next players throw.
• Any leg of darts that has reached over 99 darts, then the leg will be decided by nearest to the bull.
• This will be 120 darts in a 701 leg.