ON a day when the world’s top darts players came to Nottingham as the Capital FM Arena hosted the Betway Premier League, Central College Nottingham was granted approval to become an affiliated Professional Darts Corporation centre for its Darts Academy at Clifton.
The College is only the second in the country to reach the charter standard which confirms the facility has met a professional standard and will allow the Academy to be linked with the PDC to promote darts to a younger audience and encourage participation in the sport.
The link-up means the college can tap into PDC resources to aid its promotion and could mean top players visiting the College to promote darts in Nottingham.
The Academy opened earlier this year, is open to full-time students and has been used by over 300 students and school pupils to date, including sport students who are linking it to their sport curriculum and others who want to improve their game.
The academy is based in the specially-built Room 180 and is run by current darts professional Colin Osborne, a former UK Open finalist, who said: “This is the icing on the cake really, to have reached this level shows how seriously we are taking it.”
Former two-time World Matchplay winner and PDC Director Rod Harrington, who visited the centre on Thursday 12 March, said: “We have invested heavily in the future of the sport in recent years and Academy affiliations like this are a hugely important part of the jigsaw which will hopefully produce the stars of the future.
“The Darts Academy at Clifton is a superb facility and is already proving a popular venue for the Central College students.”
Central College Curriculum Manager for Sport, Gary Horsley said: “The affiliation gives the college a level of kudos that we have met the PDC’s requirements. The facility is top class and now we have been accredited it will really help recruitment. This is the last piece in the jigsaw and now we need to encourage more players to come forward and improve their game.”
For more details on the Academy or courses at Central College Nottingham contact 0115 914 6414.