# Darts in the Netherlands
Darts in the Netherlands is organized around the Nederlandse Darts Bond (NDB), a federation founded in 1976 that today represents more than 25,000 affiliated players through 24 regional member organizations[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb). On the professional stage the country is the strongest darts nation after England: four of the six PDC World Darts Championships won by non-British players belong to Dutch players, and the Netherlands fields the highest number of PDC tour representatives of any country except England, according to 2024 figures[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc). The headline names are [Raymond van Barneveld](https://www.edgepedia.org/raymond-van-barneveld), a five-time world champion, and [Michael van Gerwen](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-van-gerwen), a three-time PDC world champion[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc) • [3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| National federation | NDB, founded 1976; 24 regional member organizations; affiliated with NOC*NSF and the World Darts Federation[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb) |
| Membership | More than 25,000 according to the NDB; other sources report 27,000-30,000 or 33,000 official members[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb) • [4](https://dartsplanet.tv/ndb-blueprint-how-dutch-darts-builds-elite-players/) • [3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html) |
| PDC world titles by Dutch players | Four of the six won by non-British players[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc) |
| Van Barneveld | Five world championships, including the 2007 final won 7-6 over Phil Taylor[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html) |
| Van Gerwen | PDC world champion 2014, 2017, 2019[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc) |
| Tournament attendance | More than 12,000 fans sold out Rotterdam Ahoy for a Premier League night[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html) |
| Flagship amateur event | Dutch Open Darts in Assen, open from amateur to professional[5](https://dutchopendarts.nl/en/) |
## History of darts in the Netherlands
Organised darts in the Netherlands predates its federation. The Dutch Open was founded in 1973 under the stewardship of the then [British Darts Organisation](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-darts-organisation), and the tournament remains a fixture of the calendar; in its 2002 final Shaun Greatbatch threw the Netherlands' first televised nine-darter, against Steve Coote[6](https://dartsworld.com/2026/02/the-dutch-open-an-iconic-event-evolution/). The NDB followed in 1976 as the national governing body[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb).
The turning point came in 1998, when Raymond van Barneveld became the first Dutchman to win a world championship at Lakeside. He later described the television audience as reportedly exceeding five million viewers in a country that then had about 15 million people[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html). That title was the first of five in his career, and it opened a period of Dutch dominance at the amateur-to-professional boundary: at the 2006 Lakeside final, van Barneveld lost to a then-21-year-old compatriot, Jelle Klaasen, who became the youngest world champion at the time and later moved to the PDC[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc).
The 2007 final, in which van Barneveld beat [Phil Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-taylor-darts-player) 7-6, is considered by many the best darts match of all time and cemented the sport's mainstream status in the Netherlands[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html). The van Gerwen era then industrialized that success: PDC world titles in 2014, 2017, and 2019, though not won consecutively, made him the only player besides Phil Taylor to win three[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc) • [8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/46732338).
## Organisation and governance
The NDB describes itself as the joint organization for darts in the Netherlands, affiliated with the national Olympic committee NOC*NSF and, through the WDF pathway, internationally connected[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb) • [4](https://dartsplanet.tv/ndb-blueprint-how-dutch-darts-builds-elite-players/). Its competition structure includes a national ranking circuit, the NK Darts (Dutch championship) and the NDB Masters, alongside cup and division championships, the LaCo and SuperLeague, and the Dutch Open Darts in Assen[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb). The Dutch Open is open to everyone from amateur to professional[5](https://dutchopendarts.nl/en/).
The federation also fields Dutch men's, women's, and youth selections for European and world championships and other international events[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb). Its tiered structure of 24 regional member organizations supports players on both the WDF and PDC pathways[4](https://dartsplanet.tv/ndb-blueprint-how-dutch-darts-builds-elite-players/).
## Notable Dutch players
Raymond van Barneveld's five world championships, culminating in the 2007 win over Taylor, established the template for Dutch success[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html). Jelle Klaasen's 2006 Lakeside title, won at 21, added a second Dutch world champion before his move to the PDC[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc). Michael van Gerwen's three PDC titles in 2014, 2017, and 2019 form the core of the country's professional-era record[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc). Individual biographies are covered in the separate player articles.
## By the numbers
A study of the Dutch darts sport places the NDB and its 24 member organizations at more than 25,000 members, putting the federation in the middle tier of Dutch sports federations[7](https://www.kennisbanksportenbewegen.nl/?action=file.download&file=11897&m=1727431991). The figures describe a highly active membership: more than 80 percent of members also play competitive matches outside the league, mostly via their regular venue (60 percent) or individual tournaments (59 percent)[7](https://www.kennisbanksportenbewegen.nl/?action=file.download&file=11897&m=1727431991). Some 63 percent of surveyed members play darts fanatically one to several times per week in addition to regular league nights; the share is 65 percent among men and 46 percent among women[7](https://www.kennisbanksportenbewegen.nl/?action=file.download&file=11897&m=1727431991). Women participate relatively more via the NDB (+10 percent) and the Dutch Open Darts (+9 percent) than men do in out-of-competition play[7](https://www.kennisbanksportenbewegen.nl/?action=file.download&file=11897&m=1727431991).
Membership counts differ by source. The NDB itself reports more than 25,000 members[1](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb); specialist media report an affiliate base of 27,000-30,000[4](https://dartsplanet.tv/ndb-blueprint-how-dutch-darts-builds-elite-players/); and an AFP-based report gives 33,000 official members, described as a fraction of total recreational players[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html).
Spectator demand is substantial: more than 12,000 fans sold out the Rotterdam Ahoy arena for a Premier League night featuring van Gerwen[3](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html).
## How it compares with other darts nations
The Netherlands is the clearest second power in professional darts. Six PDC World Championships were won by non-British players; Canada's [John Part](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-part) won two and the other four belong to Dutch players[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc). On tour representation, the Netherlands ranks behind England and ahead of every other nation according to 2024 figures[2](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc).
## References
1. [Wat doet de NDB? - NDB Darts](https://ndbdarts.nl/over-ndb/wat-doet-de-ndb)
2. [Why are there so many Dutch players at PDC World Darts Championship? - Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/uk/darts/news/dutch-players-pdc-world-championship-list-winners-netherlands/b6e92bb353114d87aa2380bc)
3. [Game on! Dutch darts world hits the Bullseye - Il Messaggiere (AFP)](https://www.ilmessaggiere.it/en/Sports/298272-game-on-dutch-darts-world-hits-the-bullseye.html)
4. [The NDB Blueprint: How Dutch Darts Builds Elite Players - Darts Planet TV](https://dartsplanet.tv/ndb-blueprint-how-dutch-darts-builds-elite-players/)
5. [Home - Dutch Open Darts](https://dutchopendarts.nl/en/)
6. [The Dutch Open: An Iconic Event Evolution - Darts World Magazine](https://dartsworld.com/2026/02/the-dutch-open-an-iconic-event-evolution/)
7. [De Nederlandse dartssport in beeld - Kennisbank Sport en Bewegen](https://www.kennisbanksportenbewegen.nl/?action=file.download&file=11897&m=1727431991)
8. [Michael van Gerwen wins third PDC world championship darts title](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/46732338)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Precision-aim and throwing sports (bowling, darts, curling, boules) › Darts › Darts players and organizations › Darts players by nationality and regional groupings*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license