Transforming darts from pub game to global phenomenon with Nodor

When Vince Bluck's father spotted a gap in the darts market in the mid-1970s, he built a tungsten furnace in his Swansea garage and figured out how to manufacture darts at a cost that made the sport accessible to the working class players who loved it. That entrepreneurial instinct laid the foundation for Red Dragon, one of the two iconic brands that would eventually come together to form Nodor Group - today also home to Winmau, and the official equipment supplier of the Professional Darts Corporation. 🎯

In this episode, Vince joins Inflexion Partner Tom Pemberton and host Tim Smallbone to tell the full story - from family business to PE-backed global brand. They explore how the Professional Darts Corporation and Barry Hearn transformed darts from a pub pastime into a primetime phenomenon, how Nodor ended up sponsoring and supplying the world's best players including Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries, and why bringing in Inflexion was less about the money and more about building the structure to match the opportunity. Vince also reflects on what it takes to steward a family legacy through its next chapter - one powered by auto-scoring technology, digital community and the ambition to one day fill all 18,000 seats at Madison Square Garden. 🎯