Clarys lends support to Belgian Darts Academy: "This way we can follow top countries England and the Netherlands"

Darts has gained huge popularity in Belgium in recent years. Erik Clarys, former winner of the Winmau World Masters and currently active as a co-commentator on Belgian channel VTM 2, wants to help train new talents.

Clarys notices that the darts hype is still very much alive in Belgium. "Only advantages," Clarys tells HLN. "We will undoubtedly be tapping into that success for a long time. Just like the Netherlands did. Since 1996, we saw a handful of Dutch darters move on almost every year. We want to achieve the same here. That way we can follow top countries England and the Netherlands."

'The Sheriff' wants to make that happen by setting up a genuine Darts Academy in collaboration with television channel VTM 2. "It's simple arithmetic. Out of 1,000 entries, you always have about ten talents. At 2,000 there are twenty, at 5,000 fifty. So the more interest there is in the sport and the more entries there are, the more talents we will discover."

Clarys will have some points of interest. "You have to have a talent for the sport anyway. But the necessary discipline is particularly important. In darts, you rely on yourself. If you really want to go pro, you have to live like a top athlete. That is not easy, because top darts players often lead a lonely existence. You often spend hours all alone in a small room at the board."

Age will certainly not be a factor. "We have often seen world champions older than 50 in the past. So everyone is welcome to join us."