"After two sessions I suddenly had to pay for everything myself" - Jules van Dongen got help from mental coach through players' union

Jules van Dongen is not currently experiencing the best period of his career. The Dutch American, who immediately recaptured his Tour Card early this year after losing it late last year, is in a serious crisis of confidence.

Van Dongen did recapture his Tour Card early this year, but since then barely managed to win a match on the Pro Tour. As a result, the 34-year-old Dutch American is only ranked 146th in the world rankings and sought psychological help.

"Through the PDPA (players' union) I was assigned a mental coach," Van Dongen told'Double Top' podcast. I went for two consultations there and was extremely helpful. He gave me a lot of tips on how best to deal with certain issues. I also immediately recommended it to several other players to work with such a mental coach."

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"Only it was particularly unfortunate that after two treatments I suddenly had to start paying," continued 'The Dutch Dragon'. As Tour Card holders, we donate 2% of our prize money to the PDPA. In my case, that may not be a particularly large amount, but when you get that prize money from players like Michael van Gerwen or Luke Littler, it still boosts the coffers quite a bit."

Jules van Dongen in action earlier this year at the US Darts Masters

"However, I was told that there was not enough money available from the players' union to continue paying for such a mental coach," Van Dongen said. "Too many people were using it and not enough income was coming in. I found that quite unfortunate, especially because I really needed that help. It was also going very well and I drew a lot of confidence from it. Then it's very unfortunate if you suddenly have to pay for everything yourself."

Aid in USA

Van Dongen, however, did not stop at nothing. "I started looking for help in the USA and have an appointment with a mental coach there soon. That's going to cost me about 75 euros per session, but it's worth it."