“We’re the only legitimate pathway from a local academy to the PDC stage” – Driving force behind JDC hits out at the competition

The darts world has changed dramatically in recent years. Where youth players once mainly played in small halls or back rooms of pubs, they now have access to professional academies, livestreams, and a clear development pathway to the world elite. According to Steve Brown, former professional darter and driving force behind the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC), that progress has accelerated massively in recent years.

In an extensive conversation with Online Darts, Brown spoke candidly about the growth of youth darts, the influence of Luke Littler, the increasing competition within the sport, and his own role in it. His conclusion is clear: darts is at the start of a new era.

Anyone active in the darts world today hardly has any free weekends left. According to Brown, that applies to both the elite and youth players. “It’s truly incredible how busy the calendar has become,” he says. “There’s not really a spare weekend anymore. As long as it continues like that, it’s a good thing.”

That’s a clear difference from ten or fifteen years ago. Back then, youth darts was a relatively small niche within the sport. Now there are academies, leagues, and tournaments everywhere. Brown believes that growth benefits not only young players, but the sport as a whole.

Although the development of youth darts had been underway for some time, Brown acknowledges that one name accelerated the process enormously: Luke Littler. The young Englishman broke through sensationally at the highest level and showed that a teenager can immediately compete with the world’s best. “What Luke has done has sped everything up massively,” says Brown. “We were already on a strong growth path, but his success really hit the turbo.”

Brown believes it’s not only youth darts that benefits. “As they say: a rising tide lifts all boats. The overall popularity of darts has grown enormously.”

A striking development is that darts is increasingly becoming part of sports clubs. Where youth players once mainly played in pubs or function rooms, cricket, football, and rugby clubs are now opening their own darts academies. "They might have been open one or two days a week before,” Brown explains. “Now they’re opening three or four days a week because they’re getting filled up."

That not only provides better facilities, but also a more professional approach to talent development.

Still, growth has a downside. Brown notices more and more parents viewing their children as potential future stars—with all the pressure that brings. The phenomenon reminds him of youth football, where parents can be extremely ambitious for their children. "Kids start putting timelines on themselves. They think they should be achieving certain things by certain ages."

The comparison with Luke Littler plays a major role. “They compare themselves and think, “I’m nowhere near as good as Luke was at 15. But everyone needs to realise they’re running their own race."

Brown believes it’s important that young darters don’t constantly compare themselves to others. “Some kids are brilliant at 12 and then struggle at 14. Others develop later. You shouldn’t judge yourself by someone else’s standards or averages — just focus on your own development."

Brown expects the average age of professional darters to drop further in the coming years. The stream of talent is simply too strong. "What I think will happen over the next 10 years is that players might actually have shorter careers because the conveyor belt of talent will be so strong.”

The reason is simple: there are only a limited number of spots at the top. Within the PDC, only 128 players currently hold a Tour Card.

Brown believes that could become a problem in the long term. “The PDC only has 128 Tour Card spots. In the future you could easily have 500 players who are good enough to play on TV.”

That development raises the question of whether the PDC might need to issue more than 128 Tour Cards in the future. Brown thinks that’s a serious consideration. “If I was on the board, I’d certainly be considering it,” he says. “Otherwise you might force a breakaway organisation because there will simply be so much talent out there.”

At the same time, he points out there are now more opportunities outside the PDC. Organisations such as the World Darts Federation, and organisations such as the Championship Darts Corporation offer alternative routes for players. “Now you don’t necessarily have to be a top pro to make a living from darts,” says Brown.

The enormous growth of the youth scene has also led to competition between organizations. According to Brown, various parties are trying to capture a share of the youth market. He is not always pleased about that. “We’ve been doing this for 15 years,” he says of the JDC. “There is definitely a bit of a grab going on underneath that, and I don’t particularly like it — especially when companies try to poach academies.”

Still, he isn’t necessarily against competition. “We’re the only legitimate pathway from a local academy to the PDC stage. We’ve got a full-time team and around 15 employees now. But we can’t police what other people do."

The conversation took place at Hangar 61 in Bristol, a new complex designed specifically for youth tournaments and training. The venue was found after years of searching. “We’d been looking for our own venue for about five or six years,” Brown explains. “We used to run events in Coventry, but we’d outgrown it and had to share the building with other activities.”

Hangar 61 proved ideal: one large hall, close to the motorway, with hotels nearby and ample parking. The JDC invested heavily in the renovation and built a modern darts center there. “It needed a lot of work, but we invested heavily and turned it into a world-class facility for junior darts.”

A key element of the academies is playing on livestreams and in front of cameras. According to Brown, that is crucial for the development of young players. He struggled with it himself in the past. “When I was a pro, I was great on the floor but nervous when the cameras came out because I wasn’t used to it,” he recalls.

That’s why youth players now receive media training early and gain experience with interviews. It ensures that talents are better prepared when they eventually reach the big stage. Although Littler is the best-known example, Brown sees plenty more talent coming through. One name he specifically mentions is Mitchell Lawrie. The young darter is widely regarded as one of the greatest prospects of his generation. “Mitchell Lawrie is a great character — completely different personality to Luke Littler," he says. "I think he’s going to be fantastic for darts."

According to Brown, Lawrie has a strong character and a good team around him. “Mitchell lights up the room. He’s got a great family around him and he’s hugely popular with the other players.”

Although Brown is now mainly an executive and organiser, he himself was a professional darter for many years. He still picks up a dart occasionally, but a real comeback seems unlikely. “I still play once a week,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m losing to people I shouldn’t lose to, which is a bit embarrassing.”

Yet he doesn’t entirely rule out a serious return someday. “If I lost everything tomorrow and needed a way out, I’d be back on the Pro Tour.”

Brown acknowledges that he partly sacrificed his own darts career to build the JDC. "Do I feel like I didn’t fulfil my full potential on TV? Yes. Do I regret it? No."

His focus now is fully on the future of youth darts. And if it’s up to him, the sport is only at the start of its biggest growth yet. “The talents keep coming,” Brown says. “And the next generation of darters is going to be even better than anything we’ve seen so far.”