The Junior Darts Corporation gives our players a structured, nationally recognised way to track progress and compete beyond the session itself.
Inverclyde Darts Hub is part of the JDC's worldwide academy network — giving every player a structured, professional pathway to develop, genuine national and international ranking systems, and a welcoming community that's about far more than just results.
The JDC academy year runs across six seasons, each eight weeks long. Every week, players work through a set practice routine, with scores logged via the GoDartsPro app and passed automatically to the JDC and our Academy Order of Merit. Different seasons also act as qualifying windows for the JDC's biggest events:
Season 1 (5 Jan–1 Mar) & Season 2 (2 Mar–26 Apr) — World Championship qualifying
Season 3 (27 Apr–21 Jun) — World Championship & Super 16 qualifying
Season 4 (22 Jun–16 Aug) — Super 16 qualifying
Season 5 (31 Aug–25 Oct) & Season 6 (26 Oct–20 Dec) — Winmau Junior World Masters qualifying
Players are graded into one of eight bands, based on their average across their best six scores in a season: 0–149, 150–299, 300–449, 450–599, 600–699, 700–849, 850–1249, and 1250+. Each band has its own coloured medal and club shirt, shown below.
Club shirt colours by JDC category
The Equalizer handicap system means players of different abilities can compete fairly. Category 1 and 2 players activate their Equalizer by hitting a set score, then finish the leg with a single dart into the zone. Category 3 (Scratch) plays standard rules — 501, finishing on a double. Equalizer has succeeded the previous Green Zone board as JDC's official training and handicap system, on upgraded Blade 6 Dual Core boards — the same core concept, on newer hardware.
The Equalizer handicap system
One routine can be recorded per week, always live and in person with a club volunteer — never remotely. Missed weeks lock automatically once the week ends. Players need at least six recorded scores across the eight-week season to qualify for a handicap.
Joining a JDC-affiliated academy gives players a structured route to progress beyond the weekly season. The Foundation Tour is aimed at younger and newer players, run across two phases of 20 games over five weekends, and acts as a stepping stone upward. The highest-ranked Foundation Tour players may be invited onto the Advanced Tour — the JDC's higher level of competition. Players can also qualify for the Advanced Tour through Q-School, where they compete for Advanced Tour cards. Learn more at juniordarts.com →
JDC Academies are backed by some of the biggest names in darts, including Winmau, the PDC, GoDartsPro, and DartConnect — giving our players access to professional-grade software, equipment, and event opportunities through the wider network.
