Football Darts Glossary
Every term you need to talk football darts, from the 501 start to a clean checkout. New to the game? Start with the step-by-step How to Play guide, then use this as your reference.
These are the words that come up most in 501FC and football darts more widely. For the rules that tie them together, see How to Play or the full football 501 rules.
- 501
- The score every game starts on, borrowed from the standard professional darts format. Your aim is to count 501 down to a checkout by naming footballers.
- Checkout
- Finishing a game by landing your remaining score in the win zone — a total between 0 and -10 inclusive, with exactly 0 the cleanest finish. See the advanced checkout strategy guide.
- Win zone
- The band of totals that count as a checkout: 0 down to -10 inclusive. Land here and the leg is won.
- Bust
- Overshooting the win zone. If naming a player would take your total below -10, the turn is rejected as a bust and your score stays where it was.
- Bogey number
- A score between 1 and 180 that cannot be made with three darts, so it is not a legal darts score. If a footballer's stat is a bogey number the turn scores 0. Read the full guide to bogey numbers.
- 180
- The maximum legal three-dart score in darts. In 501FC a footballer whose career stat equals 180 lands a 180 — the biggest single dart you can throw.
- Leg
- A single game played from 501 down to a checkout. In head-to-head play, winning a leg wins the match unless you are playing a longer format.
- Category
- The rule that decides which footballers are eligible in a round — for example "Premier League" or "Brazil internationals". Name an ineligible player and the turn scores 0.
- Metric
- The career statistic that counts in a round, such as goals, appearances or assists. A player's value for the metric is subtracted from your total as their dart score.
- Eligibility
- Whether a chosen footballer satisfies the round's category. Only eligible players score; the game checks eligibility before applying their stat.
- Daily Challenge
- The shared puzzle everyone plays each day — one category, the same for all players, with a global leaderboard and a shareable result. Play today's challenge.
- Streak
- The number of consecutive days you have completed the daily challenge. Signed-in players keep a streak that resets if a day is missed.
Ready to play?
Now you know the lingo — put it to use in today's free daily football darts challenge.
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