Football 501 Rules: The Complete Football Darts Scoring Guide

Rule 1: Everyone starts on 501

Just like a standard leg of professional darts, every game of football 501 begins on a score of 501. The objective is to work that score down to zero — or into the win zone just below it — by naming footballers. The first player to check out wins the leg.

Rule 2: Footballers' stats are your darts

There are no physical darts. Instead, each round has a category and a metric. The category sets who is eligible (for example, "Premier League" or "Argentina internationals") and the metric sets which career number is used (for example, goals, appearances or caps). When you name an eligible player, their value for that metric is your dart score, and it is subtracted from your remaining total. Name a player worth 84 goals and your total drops by 84.

If a player is not eligible for the day's category, the turn scores 0, so knowing the category matters as much as knowing the numbers.

Rule 3: Scores must be legal darts scores (1–180)

Because football 501 follows real darts scoring, a stat only counts if it is a whole number that a darts player could actually throw in one visit: between 1 and 180. Anything above 180 is impossible with three darts, so it is rejected and scores 0.

Rule 4: Bogey numbers are invalid

A short list of numbers between 1 and 180 cannot be made with three darts at all. These are the bogey numbers: 163, 166, 169, 172, 173, 175, 176, 178 and 179. If a player's stat is a bogey number, the turn scores 0. Just as importantly, you must avoid leaving yourself on a bogey number, because you would then be unable to check out on your next turn. Our guide to bogey numbers explains the maths and the traps in full.

Rule 5: The bust rule

You cannot wildly overshoot. If naming a player would take your total below -10, the turn is a bust: the score is rejected and your total stays exactly where it was. So sitting on 40, a player worth 90 would bust you and waste the turn. This is the football-501 equivalent of busting in real darts by going below zero.

Rule 6: The checkout (win zone)

You check out — and win the leg — when your total lands between 0 and -10 inclusive. Hitting exactly 0 is the cleanest finish, but anything down to -10 counts. In head-to-head play, if more than one player reaches the win zone, the player closest to zero wins, with the highest single turn breaking any tie.

Rule 7: No repeated players

You cannot name the same footballer twice in a single game. Every pick must be a fresh name, which stops you from simply spamming one favourite striker all the way to the finish and rewards the breadth of your football knowledge.

Quick reference

• Start: 501
• Valid score: a footballer's stat, 1–180, not a bogey number
• Bogey numbers: 163, 166, 169, 172, 173, 175, 176, 178, 179
• Bust: any pick that would take you below -10
• Win zone: 0 to -10 inclusive
• Repeats: not allowed

That is the entire rule set. For worked examples and a step-by-step walkthrough, head to the How to Play guide, or see how the online version plays across daily, local and multiplayer modes in our football darts game online guide.