The big debate the lakeside contract 2018

[MancheStar]

So is it worth the paper it’s printed on? Can the BDO stop players advancing there careers and earning more money by switching? Can the BDO legally withhold players money if they switch? Does it bring the game into dispute if players intentionally lose to not be binded to the contract? Thoughts people...

[Murphio]

Who knows. Until it is tested in court or the players unite and refuse to sign it the contract is going nowhere.

[Zapp Brannigan]

I mean we've talked about it to death on other threads.

Its a contract, if you sign it you have to at least accept it but its mainly a deterrent and no lawyer on this planet would advise the BDO on going to court over it.

Accept the wills of the one or two that want to break it in the hope the other 99% shit themselves and follow it.

[devosteve]

Been mentioned before : the power now is with the BDO not the player because the BDO withhold paying prize fund until after quality school.

thus the player is taking the BDO to court not the other way around.

[Bag Carrier]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

[Ginge]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

Which is a load of nonsense when you realise they have £600k in the bank to fund such an action, and if they truly believed in the contract they would win the case and get every penny of their costs back.

[WCDPA]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

True what Devo said different now Bunting waited to money cleared before switching , players now have to go to QS , BDO withold money for breaking clauses in contract so player has to sue them !

[Mgt]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

True what Devo said different now Bunting waited to money cleared before switching , players now have to go to QS , BDO withold money for breaking clauses in contract so player has to sue them !

'Auntie Sue' becoming 'auntie sue me!' it seems.

[WCDPA]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

Which is a load of nonsense when you realise they have £600k in the bank to fund such an action, and if they truly believed in the contract they would win the case and get every penny of their costs back.

Legal advice was they would eventually win but no guarantee costs would be met , and as Bob Potter puts the prizefund would the money go to him??? Barry has made it easier for the BDO board by not offering a tour card and rightly imo making them go QS

[Astonvilla]

It would never go to court as the moment a players legal team sent a letter to the BDO their solicitors would tell them categorically they would lose and be liable for costs. No director (not even the Williams) would go against advice like that.

[ifm]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

Which is a load of nonsense when you realise they have £600k in the bank to fund such an action, and if they truly believed in the contract they would win the case and get every penny of their costs back.

Legal advice was they would eventually win but no guarantee costs would be met , and as Bob Potter puts the prizefund would the money go to him??? Barry has made it easier for the BDO board by not offering a tour card and rightly imo making them go QS

[Zapp Brannigan]

Will cost to much to take to court to get the money eh back if they went down that route.

That’s what was said about the Bunting situation and that’s why it was left

True what Devo said different now Bunting waited to money cleared before switching , players now have to go to QS , BDO withold money for breaking clauses in contract so player has to sue them !

It doesnt make a difference to the player though, especially if we are talking about the winner.

You go to a Lawyer and say you want to claim for 100k of loss of earnings through restriction of trade, so long as your willing to stump up legal costs he will back you 100% just because of the potential return.

And any lawyer knows that one legal letter to the BDO demanding payment or court proceedings will start would result in the BDO taking advice, being told the same thing as last time (going to be expensive and long winded) and will be advise to settle out of court.

Player gets offer half the money to shut up and sign a NDA saying he cant talk about it to any other player. BDO dont lose all their money but keep their contract. Everyone is (reasonably) happy.

BDO will never be advised to go to court because if the contract doesnt hold up and isnt completely watertight (and no employment contract ever is, especially one with a blantant restriction on future trade) they will have completely fucked themselves over and can no longer use it in the future. The last thing the BDO want is a free pass for anyone to go to lakeside then leave for Qschool the next week.

[Dannyboy]

Why are the BDO withholding funds? Surely players regardless of Q School intent would be pissed off by this?

[Zapp Brannigan]

Why are the BDO withholding funds? Surely players regardless of Q School intent would be pissed off by this?

Theyre not, technically

The contract changed after Bunting switched to say you dont get your money until the end of January, so you cant just do a Bunting and wait until the money is in your account before switching.

But I really dont get the "it makes the contract better because the onus is on the person to sue", if anything it actually makes it worse because you never want an employee taking an employer to court because your going to get dragged through coals.

All changing it has done is made the threat larger and the deterrent bigger. All we hear now is "well the onus is on you, if you really want a long drawn out, costly legal battle then go for it but its not worth it" whilst forgetting that they could just sign up to a union like Unite for £10 and get free legal costs because its an employment issue.

If I was someone like Duzza Id be switching if I won and immediately call their bluff and start legal proceedings but I dont think he would do that.

[nikkiboy]

Why are the BDO withholding funds? Surely players regardless of Q School intent would be pissed off by this?

Theyre not, technically

The contract changed after Bunting switched to say you dont get your money until the end of January, so you cant just do a Bunting and wait until the money is in your account before switching.

But I really dont get the "it makes the contract better because the onus is on the person to sue", if anything it actually makes it worse because you never want an employee taking an employer to court because your going to get dragged through coals.

All changing it has done is made the threat larger and the deterrent bigger. All we hear now is "well the onus is on you, if you really want a long drawn out, costly legal battle then go for it but its not worth it" whilst forgetting that they could just sign up to a union like Unite for £10 and get free legal costs because its an employment issue.

If I was someone like Duzza Id be switching if I won and immediately call their bluff and start legal proceedings but I dont think he would do that.

One headline of "BT & Channel 4's Lakeside winner sues because he never got paid" = R.I.P. TV coverage and the BDO, both BT and CH4 would run a mile and the press would have a field day.

[Zapp Brannigan]

Why are the BDO withholding funds? Surely players regardless of Q School intent would be pissed off by this?

Theyre not, technically

The contract changed after Bunting switched to say you dont get your money until the end of January, so you cant just do a Bunting and wait until the money is in your account before switching.

But I really dont get the "it makes the contract better because the onus is on the person to sue", if anything it actually makes it worse because you never want an employee taking an employer to court because your going to get dragged through coals.

All changing it has done is made the threat larger and the deterrent bigger. All we hear now is "well the onus is on you, if you really want a long drawn out, costly legal battle then go for it but its not worth it" whilst forgetting that they could just sign up to a union like Unite for £10 and get free legal costs because its an employment issue.

If I was someone like Duzza Id be switching if I won and immediately call their bluff and start legal proceedings but I dont think he would do that.

One headline of "BT & Channel 4's Lakeside winner sues because he never got paid" = R.I.P. TV coverage and the BDO, both BT and CH4 would run a mile and the press would have a field day.

Exactly, same if the players actually got together and the 4 semi finalists just refused to play until the contract is ripped up. Would take about 5 minutes before C4 and BT jumped in and said "agree or we are never showing this again"

The BDO should be glad they arnt relevant enough to be mentioned in the media any more with the way sponsors shit themselves over the littlest things now

"BDO director turns up at persons house and place of work threatening them" on any website and the only way we would be watching lakeside this year would be on youtube.

Same with some of Des comments online.

[nikkiboy]

Why are the BDO withholding funds? Surely players regardless of Q School intent would be pissed off by this?

Theyre not, technically

The contract changed after Bunting switched to say you dont get your money until the end of January, so you cant just do a Bunting and wait until the money is in your account before switching.

But I really dont get the "it makes the contract better because the onus is on the person to sue", if anything it actually makes it worse because you never want an employee taking an employer to court because your going to get dragged through coals.

All changing it has done is made the threat larger and the deterrent bigger. All we hear now is "well the onus is on you, if you really want a long drawn out, costly legal battle then go for it but its not worth it" whilst forgetting that they could just sign up to a union like Unite for £10 and get free legal costs because its an employment issue.

If I was someone like Duzza Id be switching if I won and immediately call their bluff and start legal proceedings but I dont think he would do that.

One headline of "BT & Channel 4's Lakeside winner sues because he never got paid" = R.I.P. TV coverage and the BDO, both BT and CH4 would run a mile and the press would have a field day.

Exactly, same if the players actually got together and the 4 semi finalists just refused to play until the contract is ripped up. Would take about 5 minutes before C4 and BT jumped in and said "agree or we are never showing this again"

The BDO should be glad they arnt relevant enough to be mentioned in the media any more with the way sponsors shit themselves over the littlest things now

"BDO director turns up at persons house and place of work threatening them" on any website and the only way we would be watching lakeside this year would be on youtube.

Same with some of Des comments online.

I was contacted straight after by a journalist who wanted to do a story but I declined to give him an interview or statement, I guess without corroboration or photo the story was a non starter.

[Moongoose McQueeen]

Been mentioned before : the power now is with the BDO not the player because the BDO withhold paying prize fund until after quality school.

thus the player is taking the BDO to court not the other way around.

I like that you're calling it this now there's gonna be loads of BDO lads at it this time around

[devosteve]

Been mentioned before : the power now is with the BDO not the player because the BDO withhold paying prize fund until after quality school.

thus the player is taking the BDO to court not the other way around.

I like that you're calling it this now there's gonna be loads of BDO lads at it this time around

we shall see. maybe not that many.

I do wonder if the players have been banned from disclosing these contracts if one has never been published?

[Murphio]

Why are the BDO withholding funds? Surely players regardless of Q School intent would be pissed off by this?

Theyre not, technically

The contract changed after Bunting switched to say you dont get your money until the end of January.

I don't think this is the case at all. Bunting didn't have to go to Q School but he DID have to confirm the acceptance of a Tour Card so the number of cards available at Q School could be established. The PDC fudged the number of cards and kept Bunting's switch a secret until January 23....... after his money landed. The difference now is that you have to go to Q School and register before the deadline which is only two days after Lakeside finishes (16th). It is changes in PDC procedures and specifically the removal of the tour card offer which has changed the situation rather than anything done by the BDO.