News / darts
North Bristol becomes new national darts hub
A former social club has been transformed into what its new custodians hope will become one of the UK’s premiere destinations for darts, capitalising on the rapid growth of the sport.
On Tuesday morning, young players stood at the oches at Hangar61, the new home of the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) which features 32 match boards in the former Patchway Sports & Social Club.
On official ribbon cutting duty was former professional Wayne Mardle, who told the gathered crowd at the opening ceremony that a facility like this was “unimaginable” when he was starting out in the game.
The name of the new darts hub next to Norman Scott Park pays tribute to the area’s aviation heritage and is now a professional-level training environment for those hoping to emulate the likes of Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Fallon Sherrock.
The darts professionals of the future could be training at the new facility in Patchway – photo: Martin Booth
JDC founder and chairman, Steve Brown, said that the opening of the new facility was “a hugely important day for the JDC and for junior darts in the UK”.
Steve said: “Hangar61 gives us a permanent home that matches the ambition of our programme and the talent of the young players coming through.
“We’ve created a facility that not only supports elite development but is rooted in the local community and open to the next generation discovering the sport for the first time.”
Hangar61 is within the former Patchway Sports & Social Club – photo: Martin Booth
Also at the opening was Tom Brown, CEO of Nodor Group, the parent company of dart board manufacturer Winmau, whose latest boards feature at Hangar61.
“The growth in darts we’ve witnessed recently has been remarkable but it’s vital that this momentum is supported by strong development at grassroots level,” Tom said.
“With Hangar61, we’re proud to offer young players a world-class environment where they can learn, train and progress, supported by state-of-the-art facilities and the very best equipment.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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