The Irish are taking over! Paddy Power’s turning Ally Pally and the treble 20 green

You can't stand in the way of progress, people.

By / Darts / 12 months ago

First impressions mean everything and as new sponsors of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship we want to make our mark – but this isn’t just about the fact the Irish are coming.

We’ve today revealed an innovative new-look dartboard ahead of the tournament, which starts on Friday December 15 and concludes in the new year on Wednesday January 3.

  • SO, WE’VE GOT A CONFESSION TO MAKE… PADDY POWER WON’T BE TURNING THE TREBLE 20 GREEN  – HERE’S THE FULL STORY

As part of our mission to turn the Ally Pally green for the massive sporting occasion, which will be watched by a global audience of millions over the festive period, we’ve unveiled a brand new dartboard featuring a green treble 20 – replacing the traditional red.

The boards have been produced by Winmau – the PDC’s official equipment supplier – and will sit at the centre of a stage illuminated by an electrifying green backdrop, representing the event’s world-famous live atmosphere.

    Added to that, masses of Paddy Power merch adorning the brand’s iconic green colours will be handed out to the 90,000 fans attending the 16-day event.

    There is science behind the radical change to the dartboard’s traditional colours; research has shown the colour green sits at the centre of our visual spectrum while red and blue reside at either end of the scale, making them harder to see.

    That means not only is green the colour we perceive more accurately, but it also aids improved precision and decreased eye fatigue.

    Our aim is to help make the standard of the first ever Paddy Power World Darts Championship like something you’ve never seen before.

    We saw last year’s tournament make headlines all over the world. Hopefully we can play a small part in making this year’s just that 1 per cent better. And yes – as an Irish brand, the thought of invading an icon of British pub culture and turning the treble 20 green had its own added appeal.

    Speaking about the change, PDC chief executive Matthew Porter (picture, above) added: “We have always said as an organisation that we want to move and evolve with the times.

    “If after 30 years of our World Championship being played on a traditional dartboard, change means improvement for the standard and quality of the sport, and it directly benefits the health of players, then we owe it to them to give it a go.

    “We saw 901 180s struck during last year’s tournament and maybe we’ll break the 1,000 mark this year for the first time ever. It’s great to be working with Paddy Power and we hope the players are as excited about this change as we are.”

    Players present at today’s launch and draw for the tournament will have their first opportunity to practice on the new boards, with current World Champion Michael Smith, former winners Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price and ‘Queen of the Palace’ Fallon Sherrock able to see the new design first-hand.

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