Dear players, fans, presidents and captains alike, I thought I’d note down my thoughts on the season just gone and posit some reflections of where UDUK is at, and where we are going, and can go! I made a similar post in January, discussing some of the progress we’d made in term 1, as well as looking at the state of play in the leagues. Since then, we’ve seen some phenomenal league campaigns, and some fairy-tale endings. Lancaster, Warwick, Oxford, Sheffield and York all wrapped up league victories, with some of these battles going down to the final day. That doesn’t take away whatsoever from the efforts from the likes of Trent, Bath, Lincoln, Hallam, Leeds and Durham who were all within touching distance of titles themselves, and who would certainly have been worthy winners too. Even away from title battles, the rich tapestry of UDUK teams shone throughout the season. It’s always a pleasure talking with captains and presidents about their games and their brilliant away days. Albeit with 30+ universities in UDUK now, it was difficult at times to keep across all the games taking place! We saw fantastic new entries to the leagues all over the UK, with reformed South West and North West regions, amongst others. Finals day on Sunday 23rd April was the perfect ending. I won’t repeat the words of our own Thomas Bartley, who’s put together a <a href=\"https://www.uduk.co.uk/post/clmxh51c20003l80882rgu9k9\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">brilliant summary</a> of the day, other than to say that I was honoured to be present. A day not only of amazing darts, but also of an unbelievable atmosphere, bolstered in the latter stages by the formidable Bangor. My biggest congratulations to both Sheffield and Lincoln on a classy final, where despite darting tension, the two sides could not have been more respectful to each other afterwards. I can’t wait to see what will happen next year. I’m delighted with where we have gone this year, in terms of recovering the university darts scene to pre-pandemic levels. This involved a fair amount of work early doors on legalities, safeguarding and financial structures, to ensure we were best supported to facilitate an effective, sustainable and responsible growth of university darts. Whilst we were, as a committee, disappointed at not being able to provide a full weekender this year, we do hope that as many of you as possible join us at the UDUK Summer Showdown on 30th June, which we view as an important stepping stone to hosting a full-scale UDUK Big Weekender next year. We’re always looking to expand our offering, both to new universities joining the system, but also putting on more events, in more locations. We recognise that travel costs are a concern for many players and teams, and whilst some are fortunate enough to be able to subsidise costs, not all societies receive, or have access to, the same levels of funding. As a result, whilst UDUK is not able to offer any financial help directly, we are looking to reduce costs through hosting more events, which will hopefully mean teams don’t have to travel as far. In addition, new teams will mean smaller, more compact regional leagues, thus further reducing travel costs. Please express your interest in entering the 2023/2024 UDUK league system <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA4CVNeYRFsaOwLND5tIW034MfUAFSSCoF4oAiazS2fMqElw/viewform\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">via this form</a>. Furthermore, many long-established universities generate a significant amount of funding through varsity events, and whilst this isn’t an option for all universities, we recognise this may help some. Thus, UDUK will be launching it’s Varsity advice service, where we work with universities to provide them with advice to get varsity events off the ground. We do not intend whatsoever for UDUK to infringe upon, or attempt to involve itself with existing varsity events. These all look great and run brilliantly. This service will form part of the new UDUK Pathways system that we are launching. Further information about UDUK Pathways will be available shortly. Of course, fast expansion means an larger committee is required. We have a variety of roles available, and are open to suggestions entirely, from anyone who thinks they can bring something new to the table, or just help the existing committee out in some way. Please express interest in joining the committee <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXITOILsqb6qb_b83zArD1DNAStZhAlUK-bC6ZbKB0684JvQ/viewform\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">via this form</a>. Finally, we have inducted two individuals into the UDUK Hall of Fame. They’re both far more worthy than just a footnote here, so please make sure to check out the <a href=\"https://www.uduk.co.uk/post/clmxhc4290001mo08dorni9cn\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">full article</a> about their induction. As always, please get in touch with any ideas, suggestions or questions. We look forward to seeing you firstly at the UDUK Summer Showdown, and then for what promises to be a brilliant 2023/2024 UDUK season. Best wishes for exam season, Kyle Mandell

Thomas Bartley - 24/09/2023

Reflections on the season and looking ahead