<h1>1st Strohgäu Darts Open: a successful premiere</h1>
<strong>What a day. What a premiere. And what a strong statement for TSV Korntal Steeldarts.</strong>
Last weekend, with the 1st Strohgäu Darts Open, we staged our own big open steel darts tournament for the very first time – and today we can say with confidence: the premiere was more than a success.
What started out as an ambitious tournament project turned into a full day of darts with 64 players, around 200 visitors, an additional Lucky Loser tournament, attractive prize money and an atmosphere that kept surprising even us.
<h2>64 players, €1,600 in prize money and a strong podium</h2>
The main tournament was fully booked with 64 players. Matches were played on our new board setup with eight tournament boards and two warm-up boards – and plenty of participants were pleasantly surprised when they first saw it.
The tournament had a lot to offer in sporting terms, too. A total of €1,600 in prize money was up for grabs in the main event.
In the end, <strong>Georg Weis</strong> came out on top and took home the winner’s prize of €640. Second place went to <strong>Fabian Eichstädt</strong>, who collected €320.
And in third place was our very own <strong>Steffen “Brodi” Brodbeck</strong>. With €240 in prize money, our top player completed a strong podium – and made sure TSV Korntal was up on stage in sporting terms as well.
<ul>
<li>🥇 Georg Weis – €640</li>
<li>🥈 Fabian Eichstädt – €320</li>
<li>🥉 Steffen “Brodi” Brodbeck – €240</li>
</ul>
<h2>Not just a tournament – a whole day of darts</h2>
One thing made us particularly happy: people stayed.
Once the first players had been knocked out of the main tournament, their day was far from over. A total of 32 players then signed up for our Lucky Loser tournament – turning a classic darts tournament into a full event day.
With €93 for the winner, the Lucky Loser was well rewarded too, and it ran alongside the main tournament. Even so, the schedule stayed completely on track: the main tournament was already over by around 7:45 pm.
And then came one of the moments we will remember most.
<h2>50 spectators at the final</h2>
While the final of the main tournament was being played, around 50 spectators were still there, following the action live.
At a darts tournament, it’s not unusual for the crowd to slowly drift away over the course of the day. At the Strohgäu Darts Open, the opposite happened.
<strong>People stayed.</strong>
They watched, cheered, chatted, ate and drank – and turned the last matches into exactly what we had hoped our premiere would be: a shared darts experience.
In total, around 200 people came to the event over the course of the day.
<h2>“Happy to come back!”</h2>
Even more important to us than any figure, though, was the feedback from the participants.
During the tournament, and especially when saying goodbye, players kept coming up to us to thank us personally for the event.
The feedback was positive across the board. People praised the professional board setup, the smooth running of the day, the atmosphere, the food and, above all, the fair value for money.
And one sentence came up again and again, which made us especially happy:
<blockquote>“Happy to come back!”</blockquote>
Some even asked straight away when registration for the next edition opens. That was exactly our goal.
We didn’t want to host a tournament where you play your matches and then head home. We wanted to create a place where people are happy to stay all day.
The fact that 32 players still entered the Lucky Loser and around 50 spectators were there for the final in the evening shows us: the concept worked.
<h2>From photo studio to darts arena</h2>
Another special feature of the first Strohgäu Darts Open was, of course, the venue.
The tournament took place at Martin Schäuble’s photo studio blitz+pixel in Nussdorf. The entire studio was cleared out and turned into a darts arena for the day.
The fact that a photo studio, of all places, became the centre of the regional darts scene for a day somehow fits our first edition perfectly.
Special thanks therefore go to Martin Schäuble, who not only took part in the tournament as a player but made the venue possible in the first place.
<h2>Organisation without the chaos</h2>
Putting on an event of this size for the first time is, of course, a challenge.
That makes us all the prouder that everything – from the players’ arrival to the very last dart – ran largely smoothly.
Of the 64 registered players, only one withdrew. Participants found the venue without any problems, and the tournament management ran reliably and without technical issues. Even the additional Lucky Loser tournament didn’t throw the schedule off.
That is above all thanks to our helpers.
Whether it was setting up, clearing away, running the tournament, the grill, the bar, the organisation or the many small things that make an event like this possible in the first place: this day would not have happened without our team.
So once again, a huge thank you to everyone who lent a hand before, during and after the tournament.
<h2>A strong signal for TSV Korntal</h2>
For us, the Strohgäu Darts Open were not just a tournament.
Last season, TSV Korntal won promotion to the Bezirksoberliga unbeaten – and at the same time we keep working on taking darts in Korntal to a higher level in the long term. That includes the search for a larger, more suitable venue.
The Strohgäu Darts Open were therefore an important step: we wanted to show what our club can achieve, both organisationally and in sporting terms. And that is exactly what we did.
<ul>
<li>64 players</li>
<li>200 people on site</li>
<li>32 participants in the Lucky Loser</li>
<li>€1,600 in prize money</li>
<li>50 spectators at the final</li>
<li>No technical problems worth mentioning</li>
<li>And above all: enthusiastic participants</li>
</ul>
For a small department, none of this can be taken for granted.
<h2>A successful premiere</h2>
So we are not just satisfied with the first edition of the Strohgäu Darts Open. We are incredibly proud of it.
Proud of the tournament. Proud of our players. Proud of our helpers. Proud of what TSV Korntal has achieved together.
And of course we are especially pleased that the participants and visitors were just as excited as we were.
Will there be a second edition? After this premiere, the answer isn’t exactly difficult for us.
The Strohgäu Darts Open have left us wanting more.
<strong>A successful premiere. And maybe this really was just the beginning.</strong>
Thank you to everyone who was there. See you at the oche!
<em>Your TSV Korntal Steeldarts</em>
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