
Winmau and former two-time Lakeside World Professional Darts Champion, Scott Waites, have announced a new three-year sponsorship deal.
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Waites, who won his two world titles in 2013 and 2016, will continue to represent Winmau at events, tournaments and exhibitions around the world. He will also retain his role as a contributor to the development of new equipment, including his own range of 23 and 25 gram steel tip darts and 20 gram steel/soft tip convertible darts. A win in the 2007 Dutch Open set 41 year-old Bradford-born Waites on his stellar career which includes the 2011 Winmau World Masters, 2011 Finders Masters and 2008 BDO Gold Cup titles. In addition, he is one of the few players to have won majors in both the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) after winning the Grand Slam of Darts in 2010 – a tournament he’d lost 2-16 to Phil Taylor the previous year. History looked to be repeating itself in 2010 against James Wade when he was 0-8 down. However, in one of the game’s most dramatic fightbacks, he rallied to take the title 16-12. “Scott is one of the most respected and recognisable players in the global game of darts,” says Ian Flack, Winmau’s sales and marketing director. “He’s won just about everything there is to win in the game and yet remains one of the nicest and most down-to-earth men you could ever wish to meet. He’s a tremendous ambassador for Winmau and in terms of product development, is extremely generous when it comes to passing on his experience so that others can benefit from his insight.” Waites adds: “Winmau has been fantastically supportive over the years. The whole team is passionate about the sport – it’s much more than a business to them and they really look after their players. Renewing my sponsorship with Winmau was an easy decision.” Source: Winmau.com

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
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- Well,I suppose if you don't play the tournaments ,then why should any player qualify? There are players who enter every tournament,and if they don't win it,they carry on, spending money they haven't won,yet certain players seem to think they should qualify. Winners only I thinkrick6714-11-2026
- Everyone knows what a fantastic champion Taylor was,but his performances in the seniors were poor. He wouldn't throw littler off stage,as he'd miss these days!!rick6712-11-2026
- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026





