Team Forces is delighted to provide a grant to Defence Darts, supporting an ambitious programme of competitions and community initiatives designed to bring serving personnel, veterans and military families together through the sport of darts.
Darts has a long-standing following across the Armed Forces, and Defence Darts has grown rapidly into a community bringing together players from across the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, as well as veterans and supporters. The organisation now has more than 1,500 members and supporters across the UK and overseas.
Team Forces funding will help Defence Darts expand its programme of events from November 2026, while helping to reduce some of the financial barriers that can prevent people from participating. The programme will include the Operation Checkout Veterans Darts Championship, followed during 2027 by several events including Operation 180, Operation Bullseye, Operation Royal Rumble, Operation Big Fish, Operation Shanghai and Operation Double Double.
The funding will also support opportunities for players to represent the Defence community at recognised events, the expansion of the Defence Darts Online League and collaborative activities with other military charities and organisations.
For Team Forces, the value of the programme goes beyond the competition itself. Sport can provide a powerful way to build friendships, strengthen connections and improve wellbeing, particularly for those who may be isolated, transitioning from Service or looking to maintain their connection with the Armed Forces community.
Lamont Kirkland, CEO of Team Forces, said: “We are delighted to support Defence Darts and the opportunities it is creating for serving personnel, veterans and military families. Darts is an accessible sport that brings people together, creates friendships and builds a real sense of community.
What particularly appealed to us about Defence Darts is the way the programme uses sport not simply as a competition, but as a means of connecting people across the Armed Forces community. Whether someone is serving, has left the Services, is competing at the highest level or simply wants to get involved and meet new people, these opportunities can have a lasting impact on wellbeing and belonging.
Team Forces is proud to play a part in helping Defence Darts develop this growing community and create opportunities that might otherwise not be accessible to everyone.”
The programme will also build on Defence Darts’ existing work supporting players to compete internationally, including Defence representation at the WDF World Masters in Las Vegas, while contributing to the delivery of the inaugural Invictus World Cup of Darts alongside the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027.
Defence Darts’ development has been built through volunteers, partnerships and commercial support, with its emerging charitable arm, the Defence Darts Foundation, intended to further remove financial barriers to participation and increase opportunities across the Armed Forces community.
Team Forces is proud to support this next stage of development and looks forward to seeing how the programme brings people together through the shared enjoyment of sport.
Find out more about Defence Darts: defencedartscommunity.co.uk
Meeting new people in a sport I love is great for my mental health. I’ve been playing darts since I was 16, 42 years. The darting communities are like a brother/sisterhood very similar to the military, but put the two together and you get something extra special. Everyone knows that the others have been in the same sorts of situations. You don’t need to say anything.
I’m not sure if you really know what a difference you are making to serving personnel and even more so veterans. As veterans we all miss the forces in some way and being able to mingle with our comrades is a blessing we cannot put a price on.
