Few knew it at the time, but January 2007 was a seismic month for darts.
Luke Littler was born and soon taking aim at a magnetic board, just a few weeks after what proved to be the final World Darts Championship staged at The Circus Tavern.
The tournament moved from the Essex nightclub to the Alexandra Palace a year later, kick-starting its transformation into one of the most popular stops on the sporting roadshow.
Matt Porter, chief executive of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), has helped shape much of that change, from the modest starting point he remembers in 2004.
“We had one event outside the UK, which was Las Vegas, and effectively for Brits to go on holiday and watch the darts,” Porter tells Standard Sport.
“I don’t think darts in the Olympics is hugely realistic”
Passports are now essential. Littler has played in New Zealand, Australia and America in the past few months alone. It is no surprise that players are eyeing further opportunities, especially after events in Paris this summer.
One particular breakdancing routine was enough for Michael Smith to ask on social media why darts is not an Olympic sport.
“I can see why, from a player’s perspective, the prospect of winning a gold medal would be extremely appealing,” says Porter.
“But if you look at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) criteria for membership, darts is some way off hitting those targets. I don’t think it’s hugely realistic.”
Darts does not have one global governing body, as the IOC require, with the PDC a promotional company. Porter suggests infrastructure would need to be implemented at grassroots level to ensure sufficient participation levels around the world.
There is also the question of whether darts wants, or needs, to be in the Olympics.
“Darts has got a lot better governance in terms of anti-doping and anti-corruption than a lot of Olympic sports, which have really struggled with reputational issues,” he says. “Darts is in the mainstream now. It’s not like many of these sports that rely on the Olympics for their time in the spotlight once every four years and then they disappear again.
“The sport just doesn’t fit what the Olympics needs or wants. We’re aware of that, which is why we don’t push it. Our own events are good enough. Apart from beach volleyball, I can’t imagine one Olympic crowd that’s anything like a darts crowd.”
No fancy dress costumes needed in Los Angeles in 2028, then, but the usual stream of traffic cones and minions can be expected at Ally Pally. Tickets for this year’s World Championship sold out in an hour.
“We knew it was going to sell out relatively quickly, but that was a phenomenal return,” Porter says. “We were told by our ticket providers that the levels of demand were up there with what they see for Glastonbury.”
The unprecedented interest has raised debate over whether the Palace’s West Hall, with a capacity of 3,200, remains a suitable venue. The Great Hall next door holds more than double that, but is used for behind-the-scenes operations, and Porter insists swapping halls is not an option.
With the PDC “very reluctant to leave Alexandra Palace”, an extended schedule appears likely.
“Increasing the size of the field is something that’s at the front of our minds at the moment,” Porter says.
“If we can increase the number of sessions, that will help us to satisfy demand. The logical progression is to go from 96 players to 128 players. It’s not a case of saying, ‘It’s broken, we need to fix it’. It’s a case of saying, ‘It’s big, how can we make it bigger’?”
No player has done more to fuel the current demand than Littler, ever since he reached the World Championship Final in January as a 16-year-old.
Viewing figures increased by up to 300 per cent during that run, and there is no sign of the Littler train slowing down. He was on the front cover of Forbes Magazine in April. A month later, he won the Premier League.
“He’s been great for us in terms of opening new doors to a different demographic,” Porter says. “He’s been on the Jonathan Ross show, he’s presented a BRIT award, he’s done a driving day with the Mercedes F1 team.
“Things that historically would have been difficult for darts to move into, he’s been able to take advantage of. It’s fantastic for him and for us.”
Littler will appear alongside rivals such as Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen in a three-part access-all-areas documentary on Sky Sports later this year, airing ahead of the World Championship in December.
All three will be among the favourites for the Sid Waddell Trophy, but Porter will not stress about legs and sets over Christmas.
“The result is generally one of the least important things on their minds when people come to the event,” he says. “For us, it’s all about delivering an experience people enjoy, remember and want to come back to.”
