December 26, 2025 • 9 mins
NZ Herald reporter Ben Francis spoke to Hamish McKay from the World Darts Championship in London to give updates on the most promising players, and the rise in popularity darts is experiencing.
"The amount of people that are starting to play darts now is amazing. Darts, if you look at some of the numbers at Sky Sports, and this is in the UK for example, it's the 2nd most-watched sport behind the Premier League football," he said.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waltergrave from News Talks, EDB, Your Team, Your Sport, Your
Show Underway, The All Sport Breakfast with Darcy water News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
MB Harmos mcguy in for Darcy Watergrave. The Ali Pally,
the World Darts Championship. It's got the sort of a
feeling of the Luke's Luke Letler Luke Humphreys heading towards
the two best darts players in the world. I don't
think there's any argument really about that. But when you've
(00:41):
got guys like MVG, Michael van Gerwin just showing that,
you know, there's still a bit of fighting, the old
dog yet and the flying Scotsman to Gary Anderson, who
on his day is quite mercurial and has won this
event twice, then there are plenty of angles to talk
about it. We've got to talk to our expert in
the darting world, being Francis. Good morning Being. It's all
(01:06):
on at the Ali Pally.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, morning, Hamish. It's been a couple of days off
during the Christmas period, but now that the Turkey and
the Hams have been eat and it's time to get
back into the tun scenarios.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yes, and what do you make of my analogy? They
are the two looks, but you've got to watch out
for those old dogs because they're hanging around and playing
some good darts.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah. Yeah, there's no doubt that the two loops are
the best two players in the world at the moment
and definitely on course to meet in the final. But
the guys like Michael van Guel and gar Andersen, like
you you have said, they are capable of going going
far on this tournament, capable of throwing a couple of
(01:48):
spanners and the works, as they say. There's also a
couple of young guns as well that will be saying, hey, look,
we want to show our names as well, young up
and coming players that most of the will probably haven't
heard of, that names that definitely should be keeping an
eye out for, like Johns van Den, another Dutchman. He's
come leap and leaps and bounds in the last couple
of years and he's one to definitely keep an eye
(02:09):
on for. And I think he's in the Looke Comphrey's
quarter and he's got a bit of a good record
against lout comphries over there. So if they do end
up meeting later in the tournament. That one will be
an interesting one to keep an eye on.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
John van Veen scoring average one hundred and eight point
two eight so far in the world. I mean, that's
that's handy, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
It's more than handy when I think about myself. But
I'm probably in the the sixties and now I've god
much rather be around that one hundred and eight myself.
But he's an absolute exceptional talent and he's definitely going
to be a world champion one day. Whether it's this tournament,
who knows, but yeah, he's definitely going to win a
world title at some point.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I put a little lazy dollar on Gary Anderson getting
a nine data at one stage because he's averaging one
hundred and five point four one and the Lettler's and
the Humphreys of this world will not be ignoring that
kind of form.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Oh, and you definitely can't ignore that form. You know.
Gary doesn't play in lots of these tournaments like around
the world, Like he doesn't come down to New Zealand
anymore so, he more just stays close to central to
his location. And at this time of year, this is
obviously the big tournament. The prize money has gone up
next level and a guy like Gary will be targeting that.
(03:24):
You know, He's won the two world titles as we
touched on, and he wins another one and that kind
of cements him as a true legend of the sport.
He already is one, but that legacy will just go
even further. In the fact he has made a couple
of world finals in recent years as well shows that
he definitely still has it.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
He definitely does still have it. Luke Littler is obviously
the favorite at the moment for this tournament at the
Ali Pally. He sort of ticks all the boxes, doesn't
he in terms of what what we sort of see
and imagine and want from a darts player. Not only
is he he's very relaxed, he's cool, he's calm, but
(04:03):
he's kind of got the physical presence as well. You know,
has been fantastic for the sport and we needed that,
I think in a way after the Phil Taylor years.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Oh, you're right, and the amount of people that are
starting to play dark now is amazing that if you
look at like some of the numbers at Sky Sports,
and this is in the UK, for example, it's the
second most watched sport behind the Premier League football. Like
that shows you how big the sport is and how
much like Luke little has brought attention to the sport,
(04:32):
but it's also made a lot of other younger kids.
There's so many young thirteen, fourteen, fifteen year olds out
there at the moment, who are you know, beating some
of the records that Luke Littler set And that's kind
of crazy to think that he's really helps get some
of these kids more opportunities, encourage more of these younger
kids to say, hey, I want to take the sport
(04:54):
a bit more seriously now, and it's going to be
scary and probably in the next ten years and you
can have all these twenty year olds that are just
going to be absolutely dominating the sport when in the
past it has been the you know that the forty
fifty year old man that has probably been a bit
more of the at the top of the game. So
he's really set put darts in a new direction and
(05:18):
it's only getting bigger and better every year. And we
have seen that this year of course, with the World
Champs been expanded to one hundred and twenty eight players
of the million pound price for the winner as well,
So it's going to all new levels and it's probably
levels that not many people thought it would reach us quickly,
and just on the fact of an eighteen year old
as well, which makes it even more remarkable.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, absolutely interesting. You mentioned the Darts Premier League because
I've had mates and I'm just slightly above that forty
fifty year old man that you mentioned their bent, but
he would watch the World Champs, you know, his children
home from university, suns home from overseas, or what Christmas
time and the year would sit down with what's the darts.
But now what I've found with the Premier League is
(06:01):
that they're all looking for on a Friday morning just
to have a cheeky look at what's happening Thursday night
in the Darts Premier League during the winter here.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, and that's just one of the you know, that's
probably one of the big tournaments on the calendar every year,
and it's you know, the eight best players in the
world just going, you know, all guns blazing every week,
and it's it's another it's a great concept's great tournament.
But darts it's gone. It's gone. Incredible from where it
has been just like the World Champs every year to
(06:31):
now there's tournaments all the time and if you are
on the professional Tour, you're pretty much playing every week
now and for the for the best players, it's not
just it's not just a leisure activity now it's actually
like it's a job because you can make so much
money in it. As you do get to that level
of being really good, because the the prize money in
(06:52):
it and just the whole length of everything, it just
makes it so much bigger and better, and even locally
in New Zealand, they have announced during Christmas, during the
Christmas break actually that for the players in New Zealand,
for the tournaments that are affiliated with the PDC, the
prize money is going up. I think it's about overall
prize pool increase of about two thousand dollars and that's
(07:14):
the same in Australia as well. So it just shows
you that the opportunities in this part of the world
as well are getting better. Obviously there's not going to
be enough to supplement like a full time income, but
it's also going to help that some of the players
that do want to hopefully one day say Hey, I
want to go to the UK and try and make
it on the tour. It all helps, and.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's all very visual as well. Been in terms of
like I think of Gary Anderson's shirt, he must have
about six prime sort of sponsors that just sit there
and can get great coverage.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Yeah, there was actually a book Kwayne Martin, who's one
of the commentators, he had a book that came out
a few years ago and one of the chapters and
it was about the sponsorship money, and he was saying that,
you know, Phil Taylor's sponsors and this is obviously going
back quite a few years, this is probably going back
about twenty years, that some of the sponsors on his
shirt were about four hundred thousand pounds per sponsor because
(08:06):
of all the times he'd be on TV. He'd you know,
say like, hey, I could guarantee you like one hundred
and forty hours of TV time a year if you
aren't on the prime slot on my shirt, pay me
this much. So and that shows you how incredible it is,
just those little things like that, especially for the elite
of the sport.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I got darts expert being Francis Littler or Humphreys.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh, geez, I definitely think that as Luke Littler's to
lose just overall this year and based on what we've seen,
he is going to be very hard to speak and
saying that though, and I do like to look at
these little caveats. There hasn't been a back to back
champion and quite a long time. I actually think Gary
(08:48):
Anderson might have been the last one off the top
of my head, So in saying that, I think Littler
will do it, but I wouldn't mind seeing a new
champion because there's always nice seen a fresh face voice
in the trophy there at Alexandra.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Peller True what it is this being Francis New Zealand
darts experts with us here on the All Sports Breakfast.
On News Talks, he'd be talking supers.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
For more from the All Sports Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave.
Listen live to News Talk set'd be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waltergrave from News Talks, EDB, Your Team, Your Sport, Your
Show Underway, The All Sport Breakfast with Darcy water News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
MB Harmos mcguy in for Darcy Watergrave. The Ali Pally,
the World Darts Championship. It's got the sort of a
feeling of the Luke's Luke Letler Luke Humphreys heading towards
the two best darts players in the world. I don't
think there's any argument really about that. But when you've
(00:41):
got guys like MVG, Michael van Gerwin just showing that,
you know, there's still a bit of fighting, the old
dog yet and the flying Scotsman to Gary Anderson, who
on his day is quite mercurial and has won this
event twice, then there are plenty of angles to talk
about it. We've got to talk to our expert in
the darting world, being Francis. Good morning Being. It's all
(01:06):
on at the Ali Pally.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, morning, Hamish. It's been a couple of days off
during the Christmas period, but now that the Turkey and
the Hams have been eat and it's time to get
back into the tun scenarios.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yes, and what do you make of my analogy? They
are the two looks, but you've got to watch out
for those old dogs because they're hanging around and playing
some good darts.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah. Yeah, there's no doubt that the two loops are
the best two players in the world at the moment
and definitely on course to meet in the final. But
the guys like Michael van Guel and gar Andersen, like
you you have said, they are capable of going going
far on this tournament, capable of throwing a couple of
(01:48):
spanners and the works, as they say. There's also a
couple of young guns as well that will be saying, hey, look,
we want to show our names as well, young up
and coming players that most of the will probably haven't
heard of, that names that definitely should be keeping an
eye out for, like Johns van Den, another Dutchman. He's
come leap and leaps and bounds in the last couple
of years and he's one to definitely keep an eye
(02:09):
on for. And I think he's in the Looke Comphrey's
quarter and he's got a bit of a good record
against lout comphries over there. So if they do end
up meeting later in the tournament. That one will be
an interesting one to keep an eye on.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
John van Veen scoring average one hundred and eight point
two eight so far in the world. I mean, that's
that's handy, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
It's more than handy when I think about myself. But
I'm probably in the the sixties and now I've god
much rather be around that one hundred and eight myself.
But he's an absolute exceptional talent and he's definitely going
to be a world champion one day. Whether it's this tournament,
who knows, but yeah, he's definitely going to win a
world title at some point.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I put a little lazy dollar on Gary Anderson getting
a nine data at one stage because he's averaging one
hundred and five point four one and the Lettler's and
the Humphreys of this world will not be ignoring that
kind of form.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Oh, and you definitely can't ignore that form. You know.
Gary doesn't play in lots of these tournaments like around
the world, Like he doesn't come down to New Zealand
anymore so, he more just stays close to central to
his location. And at this time of year, this is
obviously the big tournament. The prize money has gone up
next level and a guy like Gary will be targeting that.
(03:24):
You know, He's won the two world titles as we
touched on, and he wins another one and that kind
of cements him as a true legend of the sport.
He already is one, but that legacy will just go
even further. In the fact he has made a couple
of world finals in recent years as well shows that
he definitely still has it.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
He definitely does still have it. Luke Littler is obviously
the favorite at the moment for this tournament at the
Ali Pally. He sort of ticks all the boxes, doesn't
he in terms of what what we sort of see
and imagine and want from a darts player. Not only
is he he's very relaxed, he's cool, he's calm, but
(04:03):
he's kind of got the physical presence as well. You know,
has been fantastic for the sport and we needed that,
I think in a way after the Phil Taylor years.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Oh, you're right, and the amount of people that are
starting to play dark now is amazing that if you
look at like some of the numbers at Sky Sports,
and this is in the UK, for example, it's the
second most watched sport behind the Premier League football. Like
that shows you how big the sport is and how
much like Luke little has brought attention to the sport,
(04:32):
but it's also made a lot of other younger kids.
There's so many young thirteen, fourteen, fifteen year olds out
there at the moment, who are you know, beating some
of the records that Luke Littler set And that's kind
of crazy to think that he's really helps get some
of these kids more opportunities, encourage more of these younger
kids to say, hey, I want to take the sport
(04:54):
a bit more seriously now, and it's going to be
scary and probably in the next ten years and you
can have all these twenty year olds that are just
going to be absolutely dominating the sport when in the
past it has been the you know that the forty
fifty year old man that has probably been a bit
more of the at the top of the game. So
he's really set put darts in a new direction and
(05:18):
it's only getting bigger and better every year. And we
have seen that this year of course, with the World
Champs been expanded to one hundred and twenty eight players
of the million pound price for the winner as well,
So it's going to all new levels and it's probably
levels that not many people thought it would reach us quickly,
and just on the fact of an eighteen year old
as well, which makes it even more remarkable.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, absolutely interesting. You mentioned the Darts Premier League because
I've had mates and I'm just slightly above that forty
fifty year old man that you mentioned their bent, but
he would watch the World Champs, you know, his children
home from university, suns home from overseas, or what Christmas
time and the year would sit down with what's the darts.
But now what I've found with the Premier League is
(06:01):
that they're all looking for on a Friday morning just
to have a cheeky look at what's happening Thursday night
in the Darts Premier League during the winter here.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, and that's just one of the you know, that's
probably one of the big tournaments on the calendar every year,
and it's you know, the eight best players in the
world just going, you know, all guns blazing every week,
and it's it's another it's a great concept's great tournament.
But darts it's gone. It's gone. Incredible from where it
has been just like the World Champs every year to
(06:31):
now there's tournaments all the time and if you are
on the professional Tour, you're pretty much playing every week
now and for the for the best players, it's not
just it's not just a leisure activity now it's actually
like it's a job because you can make so much
money in it. As you do get to that level
of being really good, because the the prize money in
(06:52):
it and just the whole length of everything, it just
makes it so much bigger and better, and even locally
in New Zealand, they have announced during Christmas, during the
Christmas break actually that for the players in New Zealand,
for the tournaments that are affiliated with the PDC, the
prize money is going up. I think it's about overall
prize pool increase of about two thousand dollars and that's
(07:14):
the same in Australia as well. So it just shows
you that the opportunities in this part of the world
as well are getting better. Obviously there's not going to
be enough to supplement like a full time income, but
it's also going to help that some of the players
that do want to hopefully one day say Hey, I
want to go to the UK and try and make
it on the tour. It all helps, and.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's all very visual as well. Been in terms of
like I think of Gary Anderson's shirt, he must have
about six prime sort of sponsors that just sit there
and can get great coverage.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Yeah, there was actually a book Kwayne Martin, who's one
of the commentators, he had a book that came out
a few years ago and one of the chapters and
it was about the sponsorship money, and he was saying that,
you know, Phil Taylor's sponsors and this is obviously going
back quite a few years, this is probably going back
about twenty years, that some of the sponsors on his
shirt were about four hundred thousand pounds per sponsor because
(08:06):
of all the times he'd be on TV. He'd you know,
say like, hey, I could guarantee you like one hundred
and forty hours of TV time a year if you
aren't on the prime slot on my shirt, pay me
this much. So and that shows you how incredible it is,
just those little things like that, especially for the elite
of the sport.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I got darts expert being Francis Littler or Humphreys.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh, geez, I definitely think that as Luke Littler's to
lose just overall this year and based on what we've seen,
he is going to be very hard to speak and
saying that though, and I do like to look at
these little caveats. There hasn't been a back to back
champion and quite a long time. I actually think Gary
(08:48):
Anderson might have been the last one off the top
of my head, So in saying that, I think Littler
will do it, but I wouldn't mind seeing a new
champion because there's always nice seen a fresh face voice
in the trophy there at Alexandra.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Peller True what it is this being Francis New Zealand
darts experts with us here on the All Sports Breakfast.
On News Talks, he'd be talking supers.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
For more from the All Sports Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave.
Listen live to News Talk set'd be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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