The dust has settled following the AGM, the nights are starting to draw in now the shows are by and it's time for the darts players to hunt out their darts from whichever drawer they've been hiding in and sand the rust of the points.
Fixture lists will be appearing shortly, but cup action begins on Monday September 1, with the leagues commencing on September 29.
The committee were left with a healthy problem to solve as an unprecedented five new teams joined over the summer, creating issues with an imbalance between leagues in the current setup, venue congestion as well as how to keep matches competitive at all levels within the KDDL system. It is both exciting and healthy to see so many new faces entering the sport, which surely bodes well for the future.
With there being 24 teams and the prospect of a few additional teams after this season, a committee proposal to alter the league structure to three leagues of eight teams was passed at the AGM. As far as records show, this is a historic change for the KDDL which has grown accustomed to a two tier structure, which at times dropped to a single league due to lack of numbers. 'A' matches are scheduled for Monday evenings, 'B' for Tuesdays and almost all 'C' for Tuesdays as well, with a few exceptions which are scheduled for Mondays due to venue clashes.
The eight team setup, which was based on finishing positions in the league last season, should make for closer matches at all levels and, with a two up/two down promotion/relegation system, teams should now be fighting right to the end of the season. As per the rules, all new teams enter at the bottom tier and this setup should prevent the difficulties faced previously by debutants who encountered some heavy drubbings in the old 'B' league. Should more teams enter at any point, the 'C' league will be expanded to accommodate them, thus leaving the highest league to remain more stable, which has been something of an issue of late.
Fixture lists will be appearing online and in venues shortly. The 'Orkney Darts' Facebook page is the best source for anyone looking for the most up to date information.