In practice, players had to choose which organisation to represent, but many switched between the two, which often caused controversy.
This situation arose following an acrimonious split in the early 1990s between the leading players and the BDO.
This, combined with general disillusionment at the BDO's management of the sport, prompted 16 top players to break away and form their own body.
Four years of legal action followed, culminating in the 1997 Tomlin order, which confirmed the existence of both bodies, and established that players were free choose which one to play for.
The sixteen darts defectors who formed the WDC were as follows: Since then, many darts players have left the BDO to join the PDC, although some players rejoined the BDO either from finding it difficult on the PDC circuit or lack of sponsorship.