Darts transforms into global sporting bonanza

Citizen Diggital Sport examines the game's growing popularity, particularly among young fans.

- Luke 'The Nuke' Littler -

Littler, 18, became last year the youngest winner of the World Darts Championship, the biggest event in the sport's annual calendar, while he remains on course to retain his title.

The British teenager made his debut at the tournament two years ago, losing the final, and quickly became a household name, in part thanks to the player's engagement with social media.

Littler is nicknamed "The Nuke" and his Instagram account - which features updates of life away from darts including recently passing his car driving test - has 1.9 million followers.

- Double money -

The winner of this year's world championship will earn £1 million ($1.3 million) in prize money, double the amount 12 months ago as the game attracts bigger sponsorship thanks to "the Luke Littler effect".

A record 128 players, including five women, have taken part in this year's tournament which is staged at Alexandra Palace, a Victorian entertainment venue.

Ahead of the latest competition, for which tickets sold out in minutes, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) said the world championship would from next year switch to a larger hall in "Ally Pally" until at least 2031 to accommodate more fans.

The announcement was made amid talk that the sport's premier tournament could switch to a far bigger London venue or even to Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 football World Cup.

- Wider access -

"In darts, we've defeated the snobbery in sport," promoter Barry Hearn said in a recent interview with British newspaper The Times.

"There are no barriers to entry - the thing I hate the most," added Hearn, whose Matchroom Sport company has been instrumental in helping to grow the game over a number of years.

"A kid can look at Littler and go, 'I'm not that athletic, I look as good as him, I weigh the same as him, I don't want to play football, so maybe I can throw like him,'" Hearn told the broadsheet.

Interest in darts is soaring according to the PDC, with children lining up to join UK clubs, some in schools, as coaches cite the benefit of carrying out mental arithmetic alongside learning to throw accurately in order to progress in the game.

Sales of magnetic dartboards enjoyed by toddlers are in demand, while Singapore stalwart Paul Lim, 71, became the oldest player to win a match at the World Darts Championship with a victory at this year's tournament.

Players past and present meanwhile feature in the first Panini darts sticker album launched this year.

While some current PDC tournaments are screened on free-to-air TV in Britain, the World Darts Championship is shown exclusively by Sky, which requires a paid subscription.

Despite this barrier, 3.71 million viewers watched Littler's first world championships final - Sky's biggest non-football peak audience on record.

Earlier this year, the PDC signed a £125-million deal with Sky to broadcast tournaments through to 2030.

- Before Littler -

A game deeply rooted in Britain and renowned for being played by working class men in pubs, darts was hugely popular in the 1980s, as millions of UK viewers tuned in to watch tournaments on free-to-air television, featuring the stars of the day including Eric Bristow and John Lowe.

The breakaway PDC was established in 1992, offering bigger prize money and worldwide tournaments featuring the sport's top players from around the globe.

Briton Phil Taylor is the game's most successful player, winning 14 PDC world championships, with Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in second with three titles.