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World Cup 99
1. Introduction
DARTS WORLD CUP 99 is the first full international event to be played in our country and in Africa - another important milestone in the history of darts in South Africa. South Africa is a founder member of the World Darts Federation. South African, the late Shun David (Durban is his hometown), was the Federation’s first President. South Africa honoured the United Nations’ Moratorium on sporting contact with apartheid South Africa and only started playing in the World Cup in 1993. Darts South Africa was proud to host this main international competition in only its 7th year as the national authority for the sport. We are particularly proud to have been the hosts of the 1st World Youth Cup.
2. Darts World Cup 99 - A Way Forward?
Our Vision
Darts South Africa strives to promote and develop the game of darts as a national, organised sport to be enjoyed and played by all, to cooperate and actively participate in the promotion and development of the sport on the African continent and to be an active and successful participant in international darts activities. Our Mission
Darts South Africa seeks to employ its successful staging of Darts World Cup 99 in a positive and practical way within its development programme, to unite the organisation, to utilise the financial resources of its members and private sector sponsorship to ensure the long-term growth and popularity of darts in South Africa and on the African continent. Our Partners
World Darts Federation
Provincial & District member associations
School & Tertiary sport bodies
National & Provincial government sport authorities
National and Regional Sports Councils
Africa Darts Council
Zone VI Darts Federation
National & Regional private sector sponsors.
3. Country Participation
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Men(x32)
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Women(x30)
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Youth (x9)
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America
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America
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Australia
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Australia
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Australia
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Bahamas
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Bahamas
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Belgium
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Belgium
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Belgium
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Bermuda
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Bermuda
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Botswana
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Botswana
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Brazil
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Brazil
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Canada
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Canada
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Canada
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Cyprus
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Denmark
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Denmark
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England
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England
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Finland
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Finland
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Finland
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France
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France
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Germany
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Germany
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Germany
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Hungary
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Hungary
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Hungary
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Italy
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Italy
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Japan
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Japan
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Kenya
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Kenya
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Malaysia
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Namibia
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Namibia
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Namibia
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Netherlands
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Netherlands
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New Zealand
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New Zealand
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Northern Ireland
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Northern Ireland
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Norway
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Norway
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Republic of Ireland
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Republic of Ireland
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Scotland
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Scotland
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Seychelles
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Seychelles
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South Africa
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South Africa
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South Africa
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Sweden
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Sweden
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Sweden
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Switzerland
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Switzerland
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Uganda
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Uganda
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Wales
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Wales
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Botswana and Kenya did not show for the World Youth Cup because their players were unable to get leave from school.
4. Sponsorship
The event enjoyed sponsorship from:
Castle Lager and
Puma dartboards
Promarksport were the sponsorship agents.
5. Hospitality Arrangements
Durban Africa (formerly Tourism Durban) was responsible for Hotel bookings.
Durban Transport provided the bus transport between hotels and venues.
Hamba Khale Tours offered local tours to visitors.
Durban International Airport arranged the airport transfers.
6. Event and Functions Support
Durban Exhibition Centre was the Cup venue and provided the additional security at the Centre.
Exhibition Stands was responsible for setting-up the playing booths
Nuform Scaffolding was responsible for the Finals stage.
The Metropolitan Mayor, Durban Metropolitan Council hosted the Welcome Function.
Pat Parker, assisted by Brian Heine, arranged and managed the programme for the Opening Ceremony and decorated the general Playing and Finals area.
Regent Pro Services was responsible for the daily cleaning of the playing venue.
Coastlands Conference Centre provided the Function and Conference facilities.
Jays Studio was the official photographer.
Tuff Coolers supplied the Souvenirs.
Puma Darts supplied the dartboards and souvenir flights.
Computer Laptop Technology provided the laptops.
Canon provided the photocopier and fax machine.
Mondi Papers provided the photocopy paper.
AR Printing supplied all the printed material.
Telkom provided the telephone, fax and ISDN services.
SA Police Services and Durban City Police provided police presence and security around the playing venue, along the beachfront and at Coastlands.
Langoustine and Kegs on Legs provided the restaurant and bar facilities.
Medical Doctor in attendance: Dr. Ricky Folkes
7. International assistance
Bud Brick (WDF Vice-President) was our regular contact regarding the event entries, the draw and the procedures for the Managers’ meeting.
Phil Wyatt (Australia) shared information on Australia’s experiences in 1997.
Peter McMenamin (WDF President), Bud Brick and Phil Wyatt rallied to our call for emergency help when we ran into difficulty with the computer programme..
Tom Fleetwood (WDF Treasurer) kindly agreed to do all our announcing. He with Dave Alderman (WDF Coordinator), directed the running of the Cup programme with our Event Management team.
8. Local volunteers
Organising Committee: Mervyn Johnson (CEO), Harold Uberstein (Finance Manager), Reg Naidoo (Event Manager), Patricia Conyngham (Hospitality Manager) and Liz Gordon (Administration Manager) National Management Council: Ajay Raubenheimer & Bart Ibinson (Hospitality), Sharon Khan (Administration, Statistics & Hospitality), Rose Hodges (Event & Hospitality), Eddie Rhoda (Souvenirs) and Kassie Pretorius (Africa Cup). Administration & Statistics: Michael and Dalene Strydom Event: Cedric Achilles and Caryl Page (first assistants to Event Manager) plus 70 additional volunteer match officials Hospitality & Transport: Cathy Roberts, Brian Conyngham, Dawn Penn, Felicity Spark and Prudence Johnson. Souvenir Shop: Marge Rhoda, Shirley van Weichardt, Diane Ibinson and Johann Bester jnr. Ticket office, Brochures & Car Park: Jeff Adams, Greg Nicholson, Charles Jonker, Vanessa Adams, Budgie Strydom, Maggie Scheepers, Harry Hendricks, Sammy Adams plus 6 additional volunteers. Trophies & Medals: Diane Ibinson, Marge Rhoda, Dawn Penn, Felicity Spark,
Thank you
The hosting of Darts World Cup 99 was a special moment in the history of darts in our country. It was a challenging new experience that will serve the sport well both in South Africa and in the rest of Africa. It was wonderful to welcome so many international visitors to Durban and South Africa (many for the very first time) to witness the top darts players in action and to actually meet and talk to them about the game. The event had its up and downside but we will always remember and cherish the experience and employ that experience in the future development of the game.
The organising and staging of Darts World Cup 99 would not have been possible without the wide support and volunteer help Darts South Africa enjoyed before and during Darts World Cup 99. The above list identifies these helpers. We hope we have not omitted anyone. If we have, please understand. We are most thankful to each and everyone involved. You have all become part of an epoch-making moment for South African darts.
Two special names do not appear on the list - Harry Naidu and Linda Ngcipe. Both formerly worked for Tourism Durban (now Durban Africa). Harry was a great source of inspiration and help before he left to pursue his career in Australia. Linda worked closely with us in promoting the event. We missed them. They brought great value to the event and we sincerely thank them for their special contribution.
We were proud to have had our National Minister of Sport, Mr. Ngconde Balfour, open the event and particularly for the warm and entertaining welcome he extended to our visitors. We also appreciated the Welcome function hosted by the Metropolitan Mayor of Durban, Councillor Obed Mlaba, and the cooperation we received from the Mayor’s office.
Irrespective of what role you played, it contributed towards this wonderful experience of a World Cup in South Africa involving 32 countries and supporters from many parts of the world and from all over South Africa. Each and every one of you have been part of an historic, great experience and Darts South Africa says a simple but sincere and warm THANK YOU to all
Event Planning
The hosting of a World Cup involves more than just the playing of the Cup competition. This Report will focus on the main departments and the work done to ensure that the event went to plan. The initial planning was done by the CEO, with assistance from Harry Naidu and Linda Ngcipe (Tourism Durban) and in consultation with the DSA’s President and Financial Director. The National Management Council confirmed all main plans and Reports were made available to all member associations and the World Darts Federation. A main Organising Committee was appointed at a later stage with the approval of the NMC.
Because of the travelling distance, on site planning meetings were kept to a necessary minimum with host City assistance from Harry and Linda, Durban based Darts KZN officials and Promarksport.
A. Playing Venue
We viewed two suitable venues, the newly-opened International Convention Centre and the Durban Exhibition Centre. We chose the latter. It was well-known, had hosted many major local and international events with great success and was conveniently situated for hotel accommodation, transport and the CBD. It also satisfied all our main needs of a spacious playing area, a trading area, a hospitality lounge and office space. The Centre management and staff gave us good support and advice.
B. Sponsorship
We seriously considered raising the sponsorship ourselves but the task was found to be too demanding on time and travel with no guarantee of success. We were introduced to two Agencies both of whom failed us, the second one 6 months prior to the event. At that late stage we were approached by Promarksport who believed they could raise the money. Janet Wright and Natalie Webster really worked enthusiastically and diligently but, insufficient time and the preference of possible sponsors for more glamorous, high profile sports, were two main reasons for their limited success. A particular letdown was the offer of a few dart boards from the dart board manufacturer who enjoyed our exclusive endorsement for the past few tears.
CASTLE LAGER, again rose to the occasion and agreed to be a main sponsor. They were joined by PUMA DARTBOARDS as the two main sponsors of Darts World Cup 99. We thank both for their support. Our members must respect the willingness of these two brands to support darts and we must reciprocate with our support for their products.
C. Playing Area Equipment
Using our past World Cup experience, we searched carefully for playing booths that would satisfy international standards. We were introduced to Exhibition Stands who had erected show stands at many major events. We tested their structure in consultation with various local players before agreeing to the stands used for the Cup. We believe we provided playing conditions of the best standard and we understand that the Cup players were satisfied.
We had good advice from Nuform for the setting-up of the Finals stage. Castle Lager arranged the giant screen. Pat Parker and Brian Heine gave good support for our plans to present a quality playing venue and a good finals area. Castle Lager can be satisfied that Pat and Brian did a great job for them and for the event.
D. Security
Very negative international reports on crime in our country seems to have been a main cause for many countries and the parents of Youth players to be concerned about the local safety and security situation. Yes, local crime is a serious concern but, without wanting to play it down in any way, the same can be said of many other world cities. We were determined to satisfy ourselves that measures were in place to prevent problems and we met with senior officers in the SA Police Service and Durban Metropolitan Police. They were positive and co-operative, assuring us that crime levels were under control. A number of major international events like the World Non-aligned Movement Conference and the Africa Cup of Nations were held in Durban without problems. Areas around the hotels and the playing venue are patrolled, on a normal regular basis, and people had only to observe the safety rules applied in any other part of the world for a trouble-free Darts World Cup. We are confident that the experience of overseas visitors belied the negative international reports about crime in our country. While we do not deny that crime levels are at unacceptable levels, the near paranoia about crime in Durban and South Africa was overstated. We also know that those visitors who did extend their stay had a most enjoyable and safe holiday. We would love to welcome them back to enjoy the natural beauty of our country and the hospitality of our people.
A special word of praise and thanks to SA Police Service KwaZulu-Natal, Durban City Police and the security at the Durban Exhibition Centre for doing what must be a demanding and often unappreciated service.
G.
Country Participation and Overseas Support We were delighted with the number of final acceptances in the Men and Women events but a little disappointed with the Youth entry. Thank you! for coming to South Africa and sharing your skills with us. Circumstances beyond their control forced Botswana and Kenya to withdraw their youth teams.
We really appreciated the good number of supporters who attended the Cup. We believe there could have been many more visitors if only the scare stories and negative notions about Africa were placed in true perspective.
H. Local Support
In addition to regular calls for support, Presidents and Secretaries of member Provincial associations agreed to ore-sell the special Gold and Silver Pass season tickets and our annual National Tournament was specially planned to coincide with the Cup making it easier for supporters from outside of Durban to attend.
While we had above average attendance, it was short of what we expected and we were disappointed. We applaud a private initiative from Cape Town that brought a trainload of supporters to Durban for the Cup.
F. Media Coverage
A great deal of work was done to encourage coverage from the local audio and print media, with little success. What more do we need to do? Pre-event Press Releases, complimentary admission and hospitality, personal contact and the release of daily results formed part of our effort to encourage media interest. All with very little success. We took issue with one newspaper who reported the event using a colour picture showing two of our national players with a dartboard advertising another liquor brand to that of our Sponsor, Castle Lager. Television coverage comes at an expensive price. Promarksport negotiated good local television coverage with SATV. They were unsuccessful with international television. World Darts Federation sources tried to assist also without success. We were unable to raise the required TV fees and the local coverage fell away. Sports-up, a Department of Sport and Recreation initiative, covered the Finals and there was an edited showing on the following Saturday. While it was welcome coverage and appreciated it was inadequate for this major international event and we were very disappointed. During the Cup the national morning breakfast TV show flighted an interview with the CEO and Jeanette Jonathan of New Zealand. International magazine, Darts World ran special pre- and post-event features and their special correspondent attended the Cup. Complimentary telephone, fax and ISDN facilities were made available to visiting journalists
A. Accommodation and Transport
Durban Africa undertook to manage the accommodation arrangements. We were unhappy with their lack of communication and the lack of attention to detail – two normal services offered by any booking agency. - Taking the safety and security concerns of our visitors into account, we provided a free shuttle service for members of official country contingents
1. between Durban International Airport, the hotels and return - Pat Conyngham had her hands full with transport bookings to coincide with arrivals. She enjoyed good support from her team of capable helpers. Some countries decided not to use the service they booked, and made their own private arrangements on arrival. Fortunately the transport operator did not charge us for the cancellations,
2. between the hotels, the playing venue and return - Again, Pat and her helpers worked well under pressure. Passengers were late, were not at the appointed pick-up points, made their own arrangements without notifying us and were often absent for the evening return trip. Separate transport was provided for the WDF officials.
B. Administration
- WDF Vice-President, Bud Brick, prepared the draw for all the events, The CEO, Prudence Johnson, Shirley Henry, Edna Neethling, Liz Gordon and Jeff Adams finalised the details of the actual playing programme.
Prior to the Cup volunteers were briefed on scoring methods and Cup rules. These volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the event and we are grateful. Yes, there were mistakes. In our view, mainly due to inexperience and insufficient pre-event training. Our plans for Finals stage match officials backfired. We took a conscious decision not to employ overseas officials. We thought we could manage and give local people the opportunity. It did not work. Linda Katzke, however, did us proud on stage. Her World Cup 1995 experience stood her in good stead. Most unfortunately the other officials did not have that experience and did not measure up to the task. We are very thankful for the patience, help and understanding shown by the visiting players, particularly the world ranked players. This experience has taught us some hard lessons. Hopefully, we have learnt and learnt well..
C. Computerisation
We were totally dependent on outside assistance for a computer programme suited to the needs of a World Cup. A short background.
1. We were advised not to use the Australian programme (World Cup 1997) and introduced to another more user-friendly programme developed for the Europe Cup. 2. At a follow-up demonstration and discussion at the World Masters in December 1998 the CEO was told that the programme now had the endorsement of the WDF and that it would be available at a reasonable fee (about $200). In June 1999 we learnt that the programme required two “experts” to manage the programme and that we had to pay their travelling and accommodation. The cost of about R30 000 had not been budgeted for and it was too late to raise the money. We could not, and still cannot, understand why local computer technicians could not run the programme. Surely, if they were given the instructions and a contact (if they needed technical help) they could have done the job?
3. Now we had a problem and we investigated various local sources (including within our organisation) without success. It was simply too late for people who had no Cup experience to now design a programme and guarantee that it would work. Bud Brick tried to help. Eventually, in conversation with Peter McMenamin we were referred to Phil Wyatt and he introduced us to Peter Wann who was responsible for developing the 1997 programme. He had work pressure and was hospitalised shortly before the Cup. He tried his best to assist us and e-mailed an updated programme that included the new Youth 4. As our luck would have it, the programme collapsed on the very 1st day of the Cup and our efforts to contact Peter Wann were unsuccessful. Mike Strydom, Peter and Bud tried to help. Bud wrote another programme which helped to a stage but had to be adjusted after the Cup.
Fortunately, we had a good team in the computer workroom. Michael and Dalene Strydom, Liz Gordon, Pat Conyngham and Sharon Khan worked tirelessly to get things in order and working. Eventually, we had to concede that we would be not be able to complete the work in time for the WDF meeting. Michael and Liz believed the work could be completed within 2/3 weeks. However, they had difficulty with the application of some sections of the computer programme and, of greater concern, with errors on scoresheets. All the table scoresheets had to be checked against the flip chart scoresheets. It was an enormous task made more difficult by the geographical distance between Cape Town (where Liz stays) and Durban (where Mike stays). The delay has, understandably, annoyed the WDF. But, it is done, “At Last” says the WDF homepage.
K. Results
Youth World Cup - Australia Women’s World Cup - England Men’s World Cup - England Girl’s Singles - Harrena Williamson (Australia) Boy’s Singles - Kim Viljanen (Finland) Women;s Pairs - Trina Gulliver/Apalyee Jones (England) Men’s Pairs - Ritchie Davies/Riachard Herbert ((Wales) Women’s Singles - Trina Gulliver (England) Men’s Singles - Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands)
L. Functions
The Mayoral Welcome function was for official country contingents only and we were limited to a maximum number of guests. Sadly this was not understood and we had a few difficult and embarrassing moments. But the function went well and the City of Durban did us proud with a wonderful display of indigenous plants and flowers and a most warm welcome to Durban and South Africa. The Opening Ceremony followed immediately afterwards and National Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour honoured us with his presence and with a charismatic Opening speech. Pat Parker and Brian Heine arranged an impressive programme that delighted our overseas visitors and other guests. It felt so good to be a South African. Continuing the theme “one nation, many cultures” and our declared intention to provide our visitors with an African experience, we arranged the Final Function at the Coastlands Conference Centre. The music was a good mix of traditional plus international singing and dancing. The Coastlands management prepared an excellent local and conventional variety of food. But, our good intentions did not meet with everybody’s approval and we had complaints about the venue and the informal seating arrangements. Obviously we were disappointed. It was our simple, but sincere plan to entertain our visiting guests to a new experience and we ended-up having to apologise. The bright side is that the party continued into the early hours and the majority who stayed (and braved the conditions) had a great evening of fine fare, great fun and good music. Their enjoyment helped to ease our disappointment. Our National President was understandably annoyed when there was no lunch available for the delegates attending the WDF meeting. Coastlands being a Convention Centre had to be advised if lunch was needed. This was not done The only arrangement we were asked to make was for the President’s after meeting get together. This was done and Coastlands did an excellent job for this social and those who stayed certainly enjoyed themselves.
M. Practice Venue / Presos versus Slobs
When travelling overseas, our teams and players have always had difficulty finding a practice venue prior to an event. With the cooperation of Coastlands Conference Centre, a special area was set aside with 16 practice boards for visiting players to practice and to meet and play with local players. Another part of our learning experience. Some countries did use the facility and we hope that this becomes a regular feature of future World Cups. We moved the traditional Presos versus Slobs fun evening from Coastlands to Holiday Inn because there was an uneasiness about the first venue. A large number of officials reported for a very “spirited” game of social darts and an enjoyable time was had by all.
N. Africa Classic
Over 500 men, women and youth entered the Africa Classic played on the Sunday immediately after the World Cup. Despite being tired many overseas players joined locals in the first international Open tournament to be played in South Africa. Kassie Pretorius had to manage with fewer volunteers than the World Cup enjoyed but coped well under the circumstances. We paid-out prize monies of R15 000 plus gifts to the Youth winners.
The winners: Girls Singles LISELLE VAN DYK (South Africa) Boys Singles KIM VILJANEN (Finland) Women’s Singles VICKY PRUIM (Belgium) Men’s Singles PETER HUNT (New Zealand)
Darts World Cup 99 – An Overview
The playing of the 12th Darts World Cup and with it the very 1st World Youth Cup has come and gone. For South Africa it was an historic occasion, thoroughly appreciated, enjoyed and a great learning experience. There is no doubt in my mind that the sport of darts in our country and throughout Africa must now begin to show the benefits of having an international event played on home soil and also begin to make an impression on the international darts scene.
Our plans for the success of the event took into account the following main objectives:
To stage a competition that satisfied international requirements,
To provide comfort, safety and best hospitality for all visitors,
To extend a warm welcome to South Africa, and
To introduce our visitors to an African experience.
It is my belief that we met all of these objectives. Yes, there were shortcomings – some because we still lag behind practices applied to the modern game, others because promised support failed or fell short of what was expected and still others because there are still negative perceptions about Africa. The detailed Report highlights all of this and more. With the practical experience now behind me I humbly submit the following recommendations:
1. That the World Darts Federation produce a set of guidelines for organisers of future World Cups on technical, organisational and hospitality requirements. 2. That a World Darts Federation designed computer programme to suit World Cup requirements be made available to all countries hosting the event. 3. That the World Darts Federation introduce an accreditation programme for international match officials and that country bodies be encouraged to introduce similar programmes for their own needs. 4. That a code of conduct be introduced for all players but particularly for Youth. 5. That Youth competitions be played outside of areas where alcoholic beverages are served. 6. That complimentary airport transfers for all teams and team managers become the responsibility of the host country. 7. That where the playing venue is outside of reasonable walking distance from the official places of accommodation, the host country to provide a complimentary shuttle service. 8. That the World Darts Federation provide assistance with international media coverage – especially television – to the host country of a World Cup.
In conclusion, it has been my privilege to serve my country and Darts South Africa in hosting the World Darts Federation’s biennial World Cup. It has opened new areas of experience for me that, hopefully, I will be allowed to share with colleagues and associations also serving the sport of darts. None of this would have been possible if I did not enjoy unselfish help and sacrifice of time from so many people. They have all been mentioned in the main Report but I must highlight some special persons. Top of my list is Harry Naidu and Linda Ngcipe, without whom this hosting would not have been possible. Next must be Ajay Raubenheimer, Harold Uberstein, Pat Conyngham, Sharon Khan, Liz Gordon, Reg Naidu, Bart Ibinson, Kassie Pretorius and Rose Hodges of the Organising Committee and National Management Council. Most of them (with their support teams) worked themselves to a standstill and were always ready for more. Godfrey Morley (Castle Lager), his team of Pat Parker and Brian Heine and John McCormick (Puma Dartboards) were of more value than just the sponsorship they provided. Natalie Webster and Janet Wright (Promarksport) provided that daily dose of support and comfort. Danie Burger of the Mayor’s office and Roshini Naidu and her management team at Coastlands Conference Centre. These people earned their rank of MMWC (main manne wot count!) and I salute their various contributions and thank them most sincerely. Finally, my own involvement would not have been possible if it were not for my Boss – Prudence, thank you for understanding and supporting.
I plan to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2001 – this time from the comfort of my spectator seat! Hope to see you there.
Mervyn Johnson
CEO : Darts World Cup 99
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