The Junior Darts Corporation has entered an exciting new era with the appointment of Gary Horsley as full-time Director of Community & Education Projects.
Gary’s arrival underlines the JDC’s long-term commitment to developing a strong focus on education alongside the academies and tournaments which have built the organisation’s reputation over the past decade or more.
Gary’s background in education and sport makes him a perfect fit to spearhead the new department, and he has played a central role in developing the darts education programme that will be rolled out in schools across Bahrain from September.
His role will be wide-ranging and will allow the JDC to work closer with schools in the United Kingdom and beyond, as well as with other organisations.
JDC chairman Steve Brown said: “We’ve got really ambitious plans for the next five to ten years, and education is a major part of that.
“Bringing Gary on board really does mark the start of a new era for the JDC, because he provides the skill set and expertise that allows us to take on the kind of projects we want to deliver.
“He’s been the driving force and project lead behind what we’re doing in Bahrain, and the feedback from Ministry of Education has been outstanding.
“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Gary to the team on a full-time basis and are really excited about the future.”
Gary recently left his role at Nottingham College, having dedicated 30 years to working in further education, including positions as head of faculty for various departments, including Sport and Art & Design.
He led the educational arm of the charity Balls to Poverty, which won a Queen’s Award for its work teaching football in townships in South Africa, and set up his first darts academy in Nottingham a decade ago.
“I was never much of a darts player, but when I was younger I used to play on back of the garage door with my uncle,” he said. “I lost my uncle to a heart attack and it really hit me hard. Part of my grieving process was to start playing darts again, and from there I started asking whether I could link darts to education in some way. The rest is history.”
Gary went on to play a key role in developing the PDC’s successful Bullseye Maths programme and describes his new role as a “dream” and the “perfect opportunity”.
And with a background in sports coaching, including sports psychology and development, he is keen to point out that the JDC’s approach to education will go beyond the mathematics required to play darts.
“It is more than just maths – it’s about life skills, sports psychology, mental health,” he said. “Yes, we develop the maths side of it, but we also develop teamwork and communication, which are transferable life skills.
“Because I’ve been working full-time in education, until now the darts has been something I’ve done in the evenings or the weekends, but now I can give it my full focus – and that is incredibly exciting. There’s a real opportunity for darts to leave a legacy that goes well beyond the oche.”
Having already delivered sessions to 600 staff and more than 400 students in person in Bahrain, Gary will now be working on the full rollout of the programme, as well as developing training resources and leadership courses, and forging relationships both inside and outside darts.
“There’s huge untapped potential in darts, including through football clubs and their community trusts, who we want to be working with,” he said. “Darts is growing but we’ve only just scratched the surface.”
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