All Member Counties, Full and Associate may enter their member County Super League Champions Men’s and Women’s Teams into the British Champions Cup, which shall be played off in two stages.

Any player entering the British Champions Cup must be able to demonstrate that he/she has met the terms of commitment made when signing the Super League registration Form – if not then the entry will not be accepted.

The first stage is in a Regional Play-Off, held after the end of the current Playing Season, with a group of Member County Super League Champions Men’s and Women’s Teams taking part in one of eight Regional venues, under the control of a nominated BDO Director / BDO Organiser.

The second stage is the Great Britain Finals, held during the following Playing Season, where all eight Regional Men’s and Women’s Qualifying Teams play-off usually on the same weekend as the Embassy Gold Cup

1.00 ENTRY

1.01 Each member County, Full or Associate shall pay an Entrance Fee for each Men’s and Women’s Super League Champion Team, for the current Playing Season.

1.02 The Entrance Fee shall be made payable to the British Darts Organisation Enterprises Ltd.

1.03 The Entrance Fees shall be set by the Board of Directors, and shall be subject to review in each Playing Season.

1.04 The Entrance Fees must be forwarded together with the completed Entry Form and accompanied by the Super League Registration Form for the current Playing Season, to the BDO Headquarters by the 15th June in each Playing Season. (See Rule 2.02 below)

1.05 Late entries are not eligible and will not be accepted.

1.06 A Member County, Full or Associate failing to pay the appropriate Fees by the closing date shall forfeit the right to play in the British Champions Cup.

1.07 A levy will be drawn off from the Entrance Fee, which shall be used to subsidise the travelling costs of the eight Regional Men’s and Women’s Team Qualifiers to the Great Britain Finals. The amount of the subsidy being determined ‘pro - rata’ on the distances of the Regional Qualifiers from the playing venue for the Great Britain Finals.

2.00 REGISTRATION

2.01 Each Member County, Full or Associate shall be responsible for the correct registration of their member County Super League Champions Men’s and Women’s Teams on the official BDO Team Registration Forms.The Forms must be forwarded to the BDO Headquarters by the 15th June in each Playing Season, together with a covering letter confirming the validity of entries.

2.02 A copy of the ‘Original’ Super League Registration Form, with each player’s own signature upon it shall be forwarded with the ‘Official’ BDO Entry Form. to verify that each player is a ‘bona - fide’ Member County Super League Player.

2.03 Each player shall also be required to countersign the BDO Registration Form when registering to play at a Regional Play-Off, or the Great Britain Finals.

2.04 After collation, all these forms will be passed on to a nominated BDO Director/Executive Officer in charge of the whole event, who will then inform the County Secretaries/Organisers and other BDO Directors of the dates and playing venues for the Regional Play-Offs and the Great Britain Finals.

2.05 Only those players registered on the ‘Original’ Super League Registration Form and on the BDO Registration Forms shall be eligible to play in the Regional Play-Offs and the Great Britain Finals.

2.06 If a Member County Super League Player is also registered to play in that Member Counties Team, then that player may ONLY enter the British Champions Cup through that Member County.

2.07 If a member County Super League Player is NOT a registered Member County player, but is a member of more than one entrant into the British Champions Cup he/she must declare when the entry forms are submitted, which team the player intends to represent.

2.08 Each Men’s Team shall declare and register a maximum of ‘16’ players on the day of the Play-Off, or the Great Britain Finals.

2.09 Each Women’s Team shall declare and register a maximum of ‘12’ players on the day of the Play-Off, or the Great Britain Finals.

3.00 PLAYING FORMAT

3.01 Within the member County Super League the Champions Men’s and Women’s Teams are determined by the Playing Rules and Format laid down in the member Counties own Super League Rules.

3.02 In the Regional Play-Offs and in the Great Britain Finals, each men’s match result will be determined by the playing of each match as follows: - ‘9’ Sets of Singles - 501 up, each set being the best of 5 legs.

3.03 In the Regional Play-Offs and in the Great Britain Finals, each Women’s match result shall be determined by playing each match as follows - ‘7’ Sets of Singles - 501 up, Each set being the best of 5 legs.

3.04 All matches shall be played on a multiple Match board system, with a minimum of ‘5’ Match boards for a Men’s match, followed by a Women’s match using the same ‘5’ Match boards.This will provide simultaneous match play, with team players being assigned to a Match board by the Control Desk Officials.

3.05 The BDO Playing Rules shall apply to all matches played in the British Champions Cup.

4.00 DRAW

4.01 A nominated BDO Director/Executive Officer who shall be deemed to be in control of the whole event, shall allocate the groups of Member County Super League Champions Men’s and Women’s playing at each Regional Play-Off, on a geographical basis.

4.02 The draw for the matches to be played off at each Regional play-off or the Great Britain Finals shall be conducted at the stipulated time by the nominated Director/Organiser in control of that Regional Play-Off or the Great Britain Finals, in the presence of the Men’s and Women’ Team managers that have duly registered Teams to play on that day, and the bracket system shall be adopted for each draw.

4.03 The Draw for the Order of Play between opponents in each respective match shall be conducted at the Control Desk between the respective Men’s and Women’s Team Managers, at times stipulated by the nominated BDO Director / Organiser in control of that Regional Play-Off or Great Britain Finals and shall be indicated on the Match Draw Sheet.

4.04 The Team winning the Draw or toss of a coin, shall throw first in all odd numbered sets in that respective Match.

4.05 The Team losing the Draw or toss of a coin, shall throw first in all even numbered sets in that respective Match.

4.06 The players entered into the Draw may be changed for each match played off at a Regional Play Off or Great Britain Final, providing that the number of players used does not exceed those declared and registered on the BDO Team Registration Form for that stage of the event, up to a maximum, of ‘16’ players for the Men’s Teams and up to a maximum of ‘12’ players for the Women’s Teams.

4.07 The Players entered into the Draw must be present in the Playing Venue at the time that the Draw is conducted, there will be no alteration to the Order of Play as determined by the Match Draw.

4.08 In the instance of a Men’s or Women’s Team arriving at a Playing Venue with less than the minimum number of players, then that Team may play ‘short’ but the Team shall forfeit ‘1’ Singles Set for each player missing from that Team.

4.09 A ‘Complete’ Team may select a reduced number of players to be placed in the Draw against a ‘short’ Team that has been allowed to play under Rule 4.08.

5.00 PRIZES

5.01 A perpetual solid silver Challenge Trophy shall be presented to each Champion Super League Men’s and Women’s Team, which shall be held by each respective Champion Team for a period of one year.

5.02 Prize Money shall be awarded to all Regional Qualifying teams based on the positions obtained during Matchplay.

5.03 The level of prize money awarded to each position shall be set by the BDO Board of Directors and shall be subject to an annual review.

5.04 A minimum of nine team members must be present at the official presentation ceremony. Failure to comply with this rule may mean the withholding of prize money and/or trophies.

6.00 PLAYING ATTIRE

6.01 Each player in a Men’s or Women’s Team must wear uniform Super League Team or County Playing attire at the Regional Play Off, and at the Great Britain Finals.

6.02 Players are NOT permitted to wear Jeans, neither shall they were trousers or skirts made with denim, or corduroy material which have been fashioned in a ‘jeans style’. This restriction shall also apply to any form of ‘track suit’ attire.

6.03 Any player in breach of Rule 6.01 or 6.02 shall not be allowed to play in any match at a Regional Play-Off or at the Great Britain Finals.

6.04 All terms of the BDO Playing Rule No 25 shall apply to all matches played in the British Champions Cup.

7.00 ADVERTISING

7.01 All the terms of BDO Playing Rule No 27 shall apply to all matches played in the British Champions Cup.

8.00 ANTI-DOPING POLICY

8.01 The terms and conditions laid down in the BDO Code of Practice No 6: Anti-Doping Policy shall apply to all players and officials participating in the British Champions Cup.

9.00 PLAYERS & OFFICIALS CONDUCT

9.01 Any player’s or official’s conduct which is considered to have brought the Sport of Darts into disrepute shall be liable to Disciplinary Action being taken against that player or official.

9.02 Such Disciplinary Action may be instigated by the Promoters, or by the County darts body, whichever is more appropriate.

9.03 Any Disciplinary Action taken shall be in accordance with the BDO Code of Practice No 3 : Disciplinary Proceedings as laid down in Volume One of the Authorised BDO Handbook.

10.00 INTERPRETATIONS

10.01 The interpretation of the Playing Rules & Format for the British Champions Cup in Regional Play-Offs and at the Great Britain Finals shall be determined by the nominated BDO Director/Organiser in control of the respective Playing Venue, whose decision shall be final and binding on the day of the event.

10.02 Information concerning such interpretations under 10.01 shall be forwarded to the BDO Board of Directors for consideration and the possible inclusion in a revised version of the Playing Rules and Format for the British Champions Cup.