"14000 fans in the O2 Arena or 2000 in Autotron Rosmalen": Michael van Gerwen can't choose winner after Dutch Darts Championship
PDCTuesday, 28 May 2024 at 08:00
Michael van Gerwen lost in the semifinals of the Dutch Darts Championship last weekend. Still, he enjoyed the tournament in Autotron Rosmalen.
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Van Gerwen was full of praise for the audience at the Autotron, which was loud. "This is wonderful. And this is not just one session huh, there are six sessions here this weekend, a couple of which are completely sold out. Thursday (when he lost the semi-final of the playoffs in the Premier League Darts) hurt a lot, but then this does me this really really good. My wife is there, too. My kids? No, they didn't want to come. They wanted to stay with the babysitter and play on the iPad,'' Van Gerwen told AD.nl.
Several top players such as Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Rob Cross were missing from Rosmalen. "But I still have heart, you know," Van Gerwen laughed. "I've also skipped a Euro Tour at times, but I can't let my own fans down. They all buy a ticket and come here partly for me.''
Van Gerwen lost at the Dutch Darts Championship in the semifinals 7-6 to Jonny Clayton
14,000 spectators at the O2 Arena (which hosted the Premier League Darts playoffs) or 2,000 at the Autotron Rosmalen? "Pooh, tricky," said Van Gerwen. "Thursday was magnificent with ALL that crowd. That shows that darts has never been in such a great position as it is now. But this in Rosmalen has really done me very well.''
Unsportsmanlike
Yet there was also criticism of the Dutch crowd, for example, Belgian Mike De Decker (who lost to Kevin Doets in the opening round) felt that the crowd was not really sporting by regularly booing him. "Of course that whistling and booing is not sporting," said Niels Zonneveld, who himself was stranded in the second round.
"I do agree with Mike. The Belgian fans are also for the Belgians, but are always very respectful of other players. I don't begrudge my opponent being flamed out, but on the other hand.... We play very often in Germany and there it is exactly the same. Maybe we should all take an example from Belgium.''
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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