Tom Brown, the CEO of the Nodor Group which owns Winmau and Red Dragon Darts, has declared darts is in a period of "hyper growth" and that internally, the company's mantra is "We're just getting started." Speaking during a media day in London, Brown emphasized growth, innovation, and quality, stating the sport is "still only scratching the surface." He highlighted a new ten-year agreement with the Professional Darts Corporation, calling it a mutual deal focused on growing the sport from the Junior Darts Corporation through amateur levels to the elite.
The technical highlight was the launch of the Winmau Blade X, described as the "most premium, most advanced board ever launched." Brown detailed that the Blade X features a hardwood backboard and fibres that are 13% longer than any other board, with 5.5 million fibres per board, designed to withstand longer points without damage. The board comes with a five-year warranty, covering faults but not normal wear and tear. Brown also noted Winmau's introduction of Switch Points and a flight room at its Bridgend headquarters where players like Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, and Jonny Clayton experiment with configurations.
Brown pointed to the return of the Winmau World Masters as a strategic moment to maintain momentum after the World Championship surge. He discussed the acquisition of Autodarts, which offers 99.2% accuracy in auto-scoring, and emphasized technology's role in attracting younger players. Geographically, he mentioned growth in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Korea, China, Australia, the US, and Canada, calling the UK the most mature market but seeing exponential growth there and vast potential in immature markets like the US and China.
