🇬🇧 Terms and Conditions of Participation
1. Age Requirements
Participation in the NDL is permitted from the age of 14, provided that a parent/legal guardian or an accompanying adult player acts as the participant's supervisor (alternatively, an adult with written parental authorization). The player must have reached their 14th birthday by the respective tournament day and must be accompanied by another player who is also registered for the same tournament. A non-playing accompanying person alone is not sufficient. The number of participants under the age of 15 is limited at each tournament.
Players between the ages of 15 and 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. This means the player must have reached their 15th birthday by the tournament day and be accompanied either by a parent/legal guardian or by an adult who has been granted written parental authorization.
Participation requires that the player has completed their 15th year of age on the tournament day. Players who have not yet reached the age of 18 may only participate in the tournament if accompanied by a parent/legal guardian or by a person who has been granted written parental authority specifically for the event.
As alcoholic beverages are served throughout the tournament venue, this requirement is mandatory. Furthermore, participation in the PDC Qualifying School is generally only permitted from the age of 16. If a player under the age of 16 wins a Q-School ticket at the NDL Final Stage, the ticket may be deferred until the player reaches the minimum age of 16 and becomes eligible to participate in the PDC Q-School.
2. Registration and Tickets
Each player is registered by name when purchasing a ticket. Presentation of a valid photo ID together with proof of payment (including the correct payment reference) or a printout of the NDL Ticket Shop confirmation entitles the registered participant to compete.
The purchaser of the ticket does not have to be the player participating in the tournament. Tickets may therefore be purchased as gifts or on behalf of another person.
During registration, an email address must be provided to the organizer for all correspondence. A mobile phone number may also be supplied. These contact details can be updated at any time by email (changes must be sent to [email protected]).
If the provided email address or mobile number is no longer available—for example due to spam filters, storage limitations, or deletion of the email account—the organizer accepts no responsibility if important information cannot be delivered.
If the purchaser is not the player, the player's name may be submitted before the tournament begins (by email to [email protected], unless already provided during purchase) or the purchaser may designate the player in person at the venue entrance with the NDL tournament management. In this case, the purchaser's identification must also be presented.
3. Tournament Reminders
Participants are responsible for recording their purchased tournament date in their personal calendar.
The NDL does not automatically send reminder emails before tournaments and is under no obligation to provide reminders.
Prior to the tournament, a list of registered participants can be viewed on the website of the tournament software provider 3K. (Link to be inserted.)
4. Eligibility
At the time of an NDL tournament, participants must not have taken part in the most recent PDC Qualifying School (European Q-School or UK Q-School).
Example: If an NDL tournament takes place in 2027 and a player participated in the Q-School in 2026 or earlier, they remain eligible for the NDL.
However, if a player competes in NDL tournaments during 2027 after participating in the 2027 Q-School (unless they qualified through the NDL as an official NDL winner), they will be excluded from all further NDL tournaments during that calendar year. Previously purchased NDL tickets are non-refundable.
NDL ranking points earned before the current year's Q-School remain valid. If these ranking points qualify the player for the NDL Final Stage (or if qualification was secured through an NDL tournament victory before Q-School), the player remains eligible to participate in the 2027 NDL Final Stage despite their Q-School participation.
Exceptions apply to winners of NDL Open Tournaments. Open Tournament winners, as well as the tournament champion and the remaining semi-finalists, may redeem their Q-School ticket for the 2027 Q-School without affecting their eligibility to continue participating in NDL tournaments.
Qualification for PDC European Tour events or participation in the PDC Development Tour is permitted.
In addition, participants must never have held a PDC Tour Card.
5. Violation of Eligibility Rules
Participating in an NDL tournament despite being ineligible due to participation in the PDC Qualifying School, previous PDC Tour Card holder status, or participation in an international PDC event as described in Section 4 constitutes a serious violation of the tournament principles.
In such cases, the paid entry fee will be forfeited, no refund will be issued, and the player will be immediately removed from the tournament without replacement.
6. Contractual Penalty
In addition to the consequences described above, any participant who knowingly enters an NDL tournament despite being ineligible under Section 4 agrees, by signing the participation agreement, to pay a contractual penalty of €2,000 net.
7. Tournament Format
NDL tournaments are played under the following rules:
- 501
- Straight In
- Double Out
Depending on the number of participants and the tournament schedule, the match format (number of legs) will be determined by the organizer, with a minimum format of Best of 5. The exact format may vary between tournament days.
Every tournament begins with a group stage. Groups of five to six players are preferred where possible, although this may vary depending on the number of entrants. Each group will consist of at least four players.
After the group stage, a knockout stage is played to determine the day's winner.
Each leg is limited to 90 darts. If neither player has finished the leg after 90 darts, a bull throw ("bull-off") will decide the winner. The player whose dart finishes closest to the bullseye wins the leg.
8. Participation Agreement
Every participant must sign the official participation agreement at the venue before competing.
Except for the deviations specified in these Terms and Conditions (particularly Section 6), the general tournament rules of the German Darts Federation (DDV) shall apply.
Refusal to sign the participation agreement will result in immediate exclusion from the tournament. In this case, the entry fee will not be refunded.
9. Transferability
The main prize—participation in the PDC Qualifying School—is strictly personal and may not be transferred to another individual.
Tournament entry tickets, however, may be transferred to another participant before the tournament begins, as described in Section 2 (the ticket purchaser does not have to be the player).
Any transfer of a tournament ticket must be completed either:
- in writing during the ticket purchase process,
- subsequently by email to [email protected], or
- in person at the venue before the tournament begins.
10. Open Tournament Weekends
An NDL Open Tournament weekend generally consists of three tournament days.
Participation on only one tournament day is permitted. However, purchasing additional individual tournament days separately does not reduce the overall entry fee.
Partial refunds of entry fees are not available.
Individual tournament days may be purchased separately in advance as day tickets.
11. Player Admission
By participating in the tournament, each player will receive a wristband granting admission to both the sporting event and, where applicable, the accompanying darts party.
12. Spectators and Accompanying Persons (Open Tournament Weekends)
At Open Tournament weekends, accompanying persons and spectators require an admission ticket for both the sporting event and any evening party events. Tickets can be purchased either at the entrance or in advance through the NDL online ticket shop.
The outdoor area is freely accessible to accompanying persons.
Admission for accompanying persons and spectators is subject to a separate fee. Current prices are available in the NDL online ticket shop.
13. Government Restrictions
Admission restrictions are subject to any applicable government regulations, including public health measures such as COVID-19 regulations.
If a tournament must be postponed due to legally mandated restrictions, the organizer will make reasonable efforts to reschedule the event.
Entry fees will not be refunded in such cases.
14. Venue Capacity
The maximum number of persons permitted inside the tournament venue is determined by any applicable public health regulations and local safety requirements.
Accompanying persons are therefore advised to reserve spectator tickets in advance.
15. Conduct and Removal from the Venue
In the event of disputes, physical altercations, or other inappropriate conduct—whether caused by alcohol consumption or any other reason—the organizer reserves the right to exercise its right of admission and remove a participant or accompanying person from the venue without refund of the entry fee.
The same applies if, in the opinion of the organizer or tournament management, a player is no longer fit to compete due to alcohol or drug consumption.
16. Match Calls and Attendance
If a player is called by tournament management for a scheduled match and fails to report to the assigned board within 10 minutes, the match will be awarded to the opponent.
If this occurs during the knockout stage following the completion of the group stage, the player will be disqualified from that tournament day.
If a player is assigned scoring duties and fails to report to the designated board within 10 minutes, tournament management may, at its sole discretion, declare that player's matches forfeited and disqualify the player from the tournament.
Such disqualification applies only to the affected tournament day and does not affect participation on other tournament days for which the player is already registered.
17. Right of Withdrawal and Ticket Transfers
The purchaser has a statutory 14-day right of withdrawal following the purchase of a tournament ticket, provided that exercising this right results in cancellation of participation for the relevant tournament day.
After the expiration of the 14-day withdrawal period, the purchaser is not entitled to any refund of the ticket price.
Furthermore, the right of withdrawal automatically expires 14 days before the start of the event. For tickets purchased within 14 days or less before the event begins, no right of withdrawal exists.
If a player cancels at short notice before a tournament day, the entry fee is non-refundable (similar to cinema, concert, or stadium tickets).
However, a ticket may be transferred to another eligible player at any time before the tournament. Such transfer must either be communicated in writing to [email protected] or declared in person to the NDL tournament management on the tournament day.
18. No Refunds After the Withdrawal Period
Once the statutory withdrawal period has expired, or for tickets purchased less than 14 days before the tournament, no refunds will be granted under any circumstances.
This also applies in cases including, but not limited to:
- illness or injury,
- hospitalization,
- traffic or travel disruptions,
- holidays,
- failure to read the participation rules,
- changes in work schedules,
- illness or death of family members,
- illness or death of friends,
- personal reasons,
- loss of interest,
- or any other private, personal, or business-related circumstances.
Tickets cannot be returned either before or after the event.
Tickets may, however, be transferred to another eligible participant before the event following prior agreement with the organizer. This requires either written notification to [email protected] or an in-person declaration at the venue.
Tickets cannot be transferred to another NDL tournament date.
19. Registration via 3K Darts Software
The same provisions set out in Sections 17 and 18 also apply to registrations made through the 3K Darts Software.
Cancelling a registration independently through the 3K system does not override or circumvent these terms.
20. Check-In Procedure
Participants must check in with the designated NDL staff or NDL Tournament Operator at the entrance area no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled start of play on each tournament day.
Upon successful check-in, players will receive a player wristband and will be marked as present in the tournament software.
The official tournament start time is published in the ticket shop and on the NDL website.
As a general rule, admission opens 90 minutes before the scheduled start of the tournament.
If a participant arrives later than 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, it is at the sole discretion of the responsible NDL Tournament Operator whether to allow participation or remove the player from the tournament field.
Players who are excluded due to late arrival are not entitled to a refund of the entry fee.
21. Personal Property
The organizer accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any personal belongings brought to the event by participants, accompanying persons, or spectators. This includes, but is not limited to, sporting equipment, cash, identification documents, jewelry, diamonds, gold bars, children's artwork, sentimental items, or any other objects of financial or personal value.
The organizer likewise accepts no responsibility if deposit cups or deposit tokens go missing during the event.
22. Personal Safety and Liability
The organizer accepts no liability for any personal injury suffered by participants, accompanying persons, or spectators, nor for their physical well-being in any form.
All participants and visitors enter the venue entirely at their own risk.
The organizer shall not be held responsible if a player or spectator accidentally injures themselves with a dart or is struck by a dart thrown by another player.
Likewise, the organizer assumes no responsibility if a player or spectator—whether under the influence of alcohol or not—falls from the final stage or otherwise suffers an accident.
Participants and visitors are strongly advised to maintain adequate personal liability insurance.
23. Personal Responsibility
Participants and spectators are solely responsible for their own conduct, particularly when consuming alcoholic beverages.
Should excessive alcohol consumption result in contamination or soiling of the venue requiring additional cleaning, the organizer reserves the right to charge the responsible individual for the cleaning costs.
Any participant or visitor who intentionally causes damage to the venue or its facilities shall be liable for the resulting costs.
24. Property Damage
If personal property belonging to participants, accompanying persons, or spectators is damaged by another attendee, the responsible individual may be held liable for the resulting costs.
Likewise, significant contamination, vandalism, or damage to the venue caused by a participant or visitor may be charged to the responsible party.
Participants and spectators are therefore recommended to maintain appropriate personal liability insurance.
Normal wear and tear of sporting equipment used during tournament play (such as dartboards or surrounds) shall not be regarded as damage.
25. Dress Code
There is no formal dress code for participants, accompanying persons, or spectators.
However, appropriate sports footwear and suitable public attire are expected.
The upper body and the body from the waist to the knees must be appropriately covered.
Accordingly, the following are not permitted:
- Flip-flops
- Bare chests
- Swim shorts
- Bikinis
The following are permitted:
- Shorts
- Sleeveless athletic shirts (muscle shirts)
26. Photography, Video Recording and Media Rights
Photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings will be made throughout the event.
These recordings may be broadcast live via streaming services or published after the tournament.
By entering the event, all participants and spectators consent to being photographed, filmed, and recorded as part of the event.
Participants grant the organizer a perpetual, worldwide, unrestricted, royalty-free right to store, reproduce, distribute, publish, publicly display, communicate, stream, use on social media platforms, and otherwise use such recordings for promotional and commercial purposes.
This right also includes the use of digital editing technologies and artificial intelligence to modify or enhance the recordings.
If a player is disqualified or removed from the tournament, the organizer's rights to all existing photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings remain unaffected.
27. Food and Beverages
Food and beverages are available for purchase at the event.
Bringing outside food or beverages into the venue is prohibited unless expressly approved by the organizer on a case-by-case basis.
This prohibition includes, but is not limited to:
- pizza,
- kebabs,
- homemade sandwiches,
- leftover barbecue food,
- water,
- soft drinks,
- lemonade,
- bananas,
- cake,
- energy drinks,
- beer,
- spirits,
- other alcoholic beverages,
- or similar items.
Consumption of unauthorized food or beverages brought into the venue may result in removal from the tournament venue.
28. Force Majeure
If the event cannot take place due to official government orders or force majeure (including, but not limited to, pandemics such as COVID-19 or weather-related damage to the venue), purchased tickets shall remain valid.
The organizer will endeavor to hold the event at a later date.
Refunds will not be available unless and until the organizer officially cancels the event.
29. Event Cancellation by the Organizer
If the organizer permanently cancels the event, the purchaser will receive a full refund of the ticket purchase price.
30. PDC Qualifying School Prize
Redemption of the main prize, namely a participation ticket for the PDC Qualifying School, shall be governed exclusively by the applicable Terms and Conditions of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) for that event.
The complete tournament concept, current rankings, ranking points system, and further information are available at:
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