Whilst the monthly newsletter is somewhat no-more, I felt it was important to summarise and reflect upon some of the events of 2022 and look-ahead to what’s in store for 2023. <h2>The Past </h2> 2022 was a year of transition, with MK and his committee bidding farewell to UDUK. The committee would like to re-iterate its gratitude to the efforts of the previous committee. The new committee, led by myself and Iwan, officially took over at the beginning of September. We began with a haul of admin work; securing UDUK’s financial control, re-structuring how documents and data are stored, rewriting policies (GDPR, Rules, Disciplinary &amp; Safeguarding), and gradually revamping and streamlining the website. League seasons began in early October, with business as usual for the North East, North Central &amp; Midlands regions (Bar a redesigned match sheet, registration process and the return of Captain’s Bull-Off). The greatest differences were apparent with the relaunch of the North West and South West regions, which now operate on a 4 person format. Getting darts running again in these areas was a big aim of my committee. We also added extended league formats to make long journeys to some universities more worthwhile. The Scottish region launched for the first time, with the Scottish Tour, comprising 4 events. The first of which was a big success, thereby hopefully laying the foundations for growth north of the border. John Sutherland’s excellent work has already broadened the game. This was shortly followed by North West Singles in Liverpool, which turned out to be a long, but successful, day of darting action. The final of this will be played later in the year. There’s also been some great UDUK and the wider university darts scene coverage in the media; notably, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leftWBzqYwo\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an interview</a> with High Roller Radio by a UDUK member, <a href=\"https://www.reddragondarts.com/blog/post/darts-world-extra-7-palace-prelude\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an interview</a> I did with Darts World, and the frenzy resulting from Adam Warner’s brilliant efforts at the Modus Super Series, prompting discussions in commentary from our ambassador Matt Edgar, and former world champion Glen Durrant. <h2>The Present </h2> Leagues are about to resume for term 2, with some exciting battles to play out over the term in the quest for league victory for a number of teams. The best of the best will come together for league finals day (Date and Venue TBC) for the culmination of the league season. We’re continuing to evolve and improve our usage of social media to promote the game. Part of this involves putting on more events, so we can engage new members and universities, and get them playing darts. We’re planning to return to a “full” calendar of events for this year, however, we can’t promise anything as suitable venues are sometimes tricky to come by, along with other various complications. You do however have the guarantee of myself and the committee that we will run as much as is possible. We have already announced further Scottish Tour event dates, along with the return of the Scottish Championship. We’re hoping to share news soon about future events, once agreements are signed and everything is in place. <h2>The Future </h2> As always, the evolution of UDUK will and must take time. We’ve tried to carefully grow the leagues and events, so as to not encounter previous issues where new teams felt unsupported and regions collapsed. Nevertheless, the stability this year has given us the confidence to plough on with further expansions, wherein we’ve already held discussions with universities in potential South East and South Central regions. We’re also looking for a new principal equipment supplier, as existing stocks will only last so long, so if you do have any contacts in this area, please do let us know! As for the coming years, we’re also looking to host more events, with regional tournaments in more areas, more often. This will ultimately require an expanded committee, so if you think you can bring something to the table, please get in touch! All the best in your darting endeavours this term, Kyle Mandell

Newsletter - January 2023