The darts players improving the sport’s image

Darts once had a perception of being a sport for a certain type of person. Perhaps incorrectly, it was seen as a sport for old or middle-aged men. Over the last twenty years, it has started to attract a very different crowd to professional matches. The atmosphere at the big matches and tournaments isn’t dissimilar to a football match, with the raucous atmosphere. As a result, there is now a wide range of people that travel to attend.
Several players are ready to shine in the sport. Which of those are about to take the sport by storm? Who will embrace the unique atmosphere of a day or night at the darts?
Dimitri Van den Bergh
The Belgian won the 2020 World Matchplay and is ranked as one of the best in the world. The big question now for the 27-year-old and his growing fanbase is whether he can make the step up and win the PDC World Championship? In his six attempts to win the competition, he is yet to get beyond the quarter-finals, but the bookmakers see him as a contender, and with odds of 14/1 in the darts betting, he is the fifth favourite to win it.
Luke Humphries
The Berkshire born player has been labelled as one to watch out for in the future. In his first major tournament, he went on a great run in the 2021 UK Open and knocked the legendary Michael van Gerwen out in the semi-final stage. Sadly for Humphries, he would go to lose the final against James Wade. Can he go one better over the 12 months and win one of darts major honours?

Steve Lennon
Lennon is approaching the end of his 20s but is still seen as a player with great potential. The former BDO player has yet to go beyond the quarter-final of a major PDC tournament. He is often ranked as an outsider to win one of these but could he turn out to be a tricky fixture for some of the world’s best players? Could ‘The Shamrock’ start to challenge and win one of those honours over the next few years?
What’s the future of the sport?
The sport’s popularity should continue to improve as the range of players becomes more diverse. Fallon Sherrock recently became the first-ever woman to reach the last 16 of ranking major darts tournament. Her exciting performances have potentially introduced a generation of females to the professional version of the sport. Research indicates that it’s growing popularity both as a sport and as an activity. It will be interesting to see how the sport develops over the next few years.
Back in 2020, PDC chairman Barry Hearn said the potential of the sport was limitless. He spoke about the accessibility of the game and how it can be played by anyone. Hearn also argued that the sport has moved on from being a pub game and is now a global sport. The sports promoter might have a point. The sport currently gets a lot of coverage in the media, it could start to challenge the last remaining negative stereotypes that people have. Will we see a future where darts sits alongside football as one of the most popular sports across the United Kingdom?