As a result of continued ill health, Bill Hatter has stepped down from his role as WDF President with immediate effect.
Appointed as WDF President in 2013, Bill has enjoyed many fabulous experiences in his role, including being present at the World Cups in Canada in 2013, Turkey in 2015, Japan in 2017 and Romania in 2019. Bill has also overseen and been a major supporter of the teams that reintroduced the WDF Ranking system, the Lakeside World Championships and the WDF World Masters.
The position of WDF President will be filled in an interim capacity by the current WDF Vice-President Corporate, Buddy Bartoletta. Having been President of the ADO for eight years, Buddy joined the WDF as the Vice President Corporate in 2011. More recently, Buddy has been an active member of the WDF teams responsible for the successful running of the World Championships in the 2023 and 2024 as well as the World Masters in Hungary.
On his departure, Hatter said: "I really am sorry to be leaving the WDF as I've thoroughly enjoyed my spell as President and I'm very proud of the achievements I've overseen, especially bringing the Lakeside World Championships back to life.
"That said, I fully accept that not being able to play a full part in events and meetings is not beneficial for the WDF and it therefore makes sense for me to step aside.
"I firmly believe that the WDF will be in safe hands with Buddy at the helm and a great team behind him and I wish him, the WDF Executive and all of the WDF's Member Countries all the very best for the future."
New interim WDF President Bartoletta added: "Of course it is sad to see Bill stepping aside; he's been great for the WDF and has become a close personal friend.
"Thanks to the work put in by the WDF Executive, WDF Promotions and the assistance of many of our Member Countries, the WDF is back on a sound footing with a well established ranking system and the World Championships back as a yearly fixture on the calendar and I am looking forward to leading the WDF team across the coming months in exploring and delivering new and improved opportunities."
The election of the next permanent WDF President will take place at the 2025 WDF General Meeting in South Korea.
