Dart Players Australia
The DPA = Dart players Australia is an Australian darts organisation affiliated to the PDC. It was founded by Kevin Berlyn. Berlyn was born in
England and started to play darts there before he immigrated to Australia when he was 17.
Kevin Berlyn was webmaster of the DFA for some years and got the impression that the DFA not really was interested both in the sport of darts nor in promoting the sport with help of the website. No PDC news were allowed to be published there.
Berlyn felt indignant by the fact that players were not informed at all over the rules of the sport and that a lot of false statements were published by the organisation. He got the impression that the DFA was going downhill - there were a lot of dart players in Australia but only very few wanted to play in the DFA. There existed not professional league, only insufficient players potential and the players showed no really interest.
So Berlyn stopped to work for the DFA and founded the DPA instead which orientates at the PDC and together with the PDC already organised some tournaments in Australia. Berlyn intends in the end to organise some kind of Premier national league so that in Australia there would be some professional dart players As well who can live on playing darts.
The DPA organises the DPA Circuit, called DPA Gran Prix, every month in different states a couple of weekend tournaments are played which count for the ranking. To be able to take part players have to buy a DPA Tour Card.
The first of the DPA ranking qualifies for the PDC World Championship. Another way to qualify for this tournament are for all players in the Oceanic region the Oceanic Masters organised by the DPA as well.
There exists a separate ranking for players up to 21 years - the top two qualify for the U 21 World Championship of the PDC.
At first players who took part in the PDC tournaments in Australia were banned by the DFA for the DFA circuit but the DFA had to give in - too many top players played those tournament. But players still have to decide in the main which circuit they want to play - you can't play both completely.
There are no female players on the DPA circuit and the DPA doesn't offer tournaments for female players.
Homepage: DPA