Bullseye

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Although there’s bars all over the Birmingham metro area that participate in the Birmingham Darts League, as of August 2018 there’s only one place that hosts the steel-tipped competition in the Homewood area: Red Hills Brewing Co. 

During their “home bar” games during the fall and spring seasons, and even some of the weeks in between, league commissioner Andy Shu can be found at the brewery, alternating between sipping a beer and intently staring at a tiny spot on the dart board — a spot he often is able to hit on the first try.

“There is skill to it, and it’s all about how you're aiming. It’s about how your body is positioned, how you hold the dart,” he said.

But as long as teams hit the board every once in a while, he said, it’s always a good time, and really it’s “a big social league.” The Birmingham Darts League has been around for about five years, he added.

Shu, who has been the commissioner of the league for two years and throwing competitively for the last decade, is friendly and laid-back, as is most everyone in the league, he said. Opposing players quickly get to know each other during the seasons and often end up being on the same team in years to come. 

Some people practice and strategize all the time to get better, Shu said, but others just come out to the bar, and that’s the only time they ever throw. 

“It’s [for] work colleagues, friends. We’ve got a team that’s basically all family and cousins that just come out and throw,” Shu said. 

Shu said each competition during the season leading to the championship lasts about two hours, during when members of the team face another team in matches of various competition styles. They practice and compete at various “home bars”around Birmingham, including Red Hills Brewing Co.  

There was a time, Shu said, when the league had a fairly big gap in the talent level and some of the teams would “beat the other teams down,” but they’ve fixed it since then.

He is in charge of making sure teams on similar levels play each other, and a reevaluation is done at the beginning of each season. The amount of people involved per season varies, Shu said, but typically there’s 10-12 teams, with each team consisting of five to 12 people.

“I always tell everybody, if you've never thrown before or only thrown a little bit, you're welcome to join the league, and you’re not going to be put up against a guy that’s been throwing 30 years or something like that,” he said.

There are also “blind draw” nights sprinkled between seasons, where everyone’s name is put in a hat and competitions are chosen at random. A lot of newcomers check it out on these nights and get a feel for if they’d like to join the league.

Only four teams competed in the first season of the Birmingham Darts League, but since then it’s gotten more popular each year, with a total of 12 teams competing in the last season. Each year, the winning team gets a trophy — and a whole lot of bragging rights. 

“Everybody has a good time; there’s never any arguments or fights. Obviously, everybody wants to see everyone throw well. If someone throws better than you in a game, it’s just like, ‘Oh well, I’ll get another beer,’” Shu said. 

To make a team in Homewood, all people have to do is find a “home bar” or restaurant that has dart boards or is willing to put up some and let the team compete twice a month. 

Individuals are also encouraged to sign up. Shu said he gets emails from interested people all the time, and based on where they’re driving from and their skill level, Shu puts them on a team he thinks they would enjoy. Usually people show up early before throwing nights to grab a beer and get to know their team or opponents. 

Shu said they’re hoping to add more teams to the league in the upcoming season.

To sign up or learn more, go to birminghamdarts.com.