Andy Hamilton opens his own youth darts academy: "How you get the next Luke Littler"

Former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton has taken a new step in his darts career. The 59-year-old Englishman, better known as “The Hammer”, has opened his first darts academy for young players. Through the initiative, Hamilton hopes to guide emerging talent and give something back to the community in Stoke-on-Trent. The first young players have already started training at the academy.

The non-profit organisation, called Darts Coaching by Andy 'The Hammer' Hamilton, is based at Burslem Cricket Club. Children and young people aged between eight and 18 can attend every Wednesday from 18:00 to 20:00 to develop their darts skills.

Hamilton sees the academy as an important investment in the future of the sport. Speaking to the newspaper The Sentinel said he never had access to opportunities like these. “It’s great to see kids getting interested in darts from an early age. When I was growing up, we never had this kind of thing. I started learning in the pub when I was 18,” Hamilton said.

"But academies for young people like this are how you get the next Luke Littler. Nurturing those skills early on. We have some 10-year-olds who are already showing a lot of promise."

The academy runs in six-week blocks. Players pay £40 and receive one coaching session each week. The full entry fee then goes into a prize fund, which is shared out at internal tournaments.

“The club runs in six-week blocks. You pay £40 and then come once a week until the half-term. All that money goes into a cashpot. Then we will host club knockout tournaments where the winners earn a share as a prize. Whoever comes in first gets £80, then second place gets £50, and so on."

Although there is something to play for, Hamilton stresses that results are not the priority. The former top player believes it is more important for children to enjoy themselves and learn how to handle both winning and losing.

"But the club is really all about having fun. I don’t want anybody walking out of this room feeling miserable. Everyone is a winner. It’s all about getting that practice in and enjoying the experience.

"Someone has to lose every match, but that is something everyone has to learn before they start winning. I learnt a lot from losing to Phil Taylor - so I know what it’s like!”

To make the youth academy possible, Burslem Cricket Club underwent extensive renovations. The venue now has eight dartboards, all fitted with automatic scoring systems.

Hamilton said the idea took shape after he got in touch with chairman Paul Johnson, who had long wanted to make room for darts at the cricket club.

“We knew the chairman, Paul Johnson, has been wanting to get some darts going in the cricket club. And I have been wanting to start a coaching academy for quite a while now. So we decided to start hosting this children’s darts club. It’s all about giving something back to the community.

Preparations began in February. Hamilton invested his own money in the project, but also received support from several companies. “We started getting everything ready in February. I’ve put some money into getting it set up, but we have had lots of support from our sponsors too. Aside from Burslem Cricket Club lending us the venue, we’ve had Emerys supplying our score-keeping tablets, Jurassic Points supplying the shirts, and Target supplying the automatic dartboards."

Hamilton is especially pleased with the environment the children have to train in. He was keen to ensure that young players would not have to rely on cafés or pubs to practise their sport. "We’ve created a great space here. It’s a proper club, instead of just a pub. I’ve got nothing against people having a drink, but we wanted somewhere the kids could come without a load of distractions in the background.”

Hamilton, who lost the 2012 World Championship final to Adrian Lewis, remains active in darts. He plays exhibition matches and takes part in various events, but has now also found time to focus on coaching young players.

“It’s exciting to get the opportunity to coach the next generation of talent. I’m still busy with exhibitions and challenge tours, but now I have the time to do coaching one night a week. I think it will be very rewarding sharing my real-world experience and showing them what a darts match is really all about."

Hamilton looks beyond the sporting development of his pupils. He also hopes to make a difference in their social lives. "“For me, it’s about creating a space where kids can come and enjoy themselves. Build social skills and confidence for the next part of life. Of course, they’ll be building their dart skills too."

The former World Championship finalist also hopes his academy will eventually produce a new star. After all, Stoke-on-Trent has already produced several big names in darts, including Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Ian White. "I would love to see the next big Stoke-on-Trent darts player come out of this. Another Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, Ian White - or another Andy Hamilton!”

Hamilton says interest in the academy has been promising. A new six-week training block will begin in 2027, with more places available. In time, the Englishman hopes to coach around 40 young players.

“More spaces will be available for our next six-week block in 2027. Eventually, I’m hoping to get 40 kids coming along and getting stuck in. That’ll be a nice amount where we have plenty of competitors. But I’ll still be able to give each of them some hands-on guidance. I might start doing some one-to-one coaching sessions in the future too.

The new academy’s first major event is also scheduled for 18 December. Hamilton will play an exhibition match against the young players at his club. Members of the public are welcome to come and watch.

And if one of his young pupils manages to beat the former World Championship finalist, Hamilton will have no complaints. “Our first big club event is coming up on December 18. I will be doing an exhibition match playing against the kids, and anyone is welcome to come and watch. If one of the kids beat me, I’ll say ‘fair play’! Because that win will be earned. We’ll all be playing our best - and that’s what it’s all about.”