''Everyone wants to be part of the party'' - Dimitri van den Bergh sees darts hype growing in Belgium

Dimitri van den Bergh has already played at the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze in recent years, but the Flanders Darts Trophy in Antwerp this weekend will only really feel like a home tournament for "The Dreammaker.

The Antwerp XPO will be packed with total darts fans for the next three days. Van den Bergh is already looking forward to the moment when he can perform his walk-on.

''A tournament of the PDC in the city where I was born and grew up ... Unbelievable. It remains a separate thing for me even now. When they came to tell me, I couldn't believe it at first,'' he said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "I heard that along my dad's side, pretty much the whole family is going to be there. They bought somewhere between thirty and sixty tickets. No, I don't have a small family. Not that this gives me any extra nerves. I get to play darts for my own blood, which is crazy. I'm hoping to recognize some voices during the match and if I see them during my walk-on, I'm going to quit. So it could be that like in Wieze it will be a long walk-on, but I never plan anything in advance."

In recent years, Van den Bergh has become a stable Belgian number one. His big breakthrough was his final victory at the World Matchplay in 2020, having previously reached the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship twice. A second major title followed this year, as he defeated world champion Luke Humphries in the final of the UK Open. Belgian darts fans can catch all about Van den Bergh's successes, as Belgian broadcaster VTM has been broadcasting all major tournaments in recent years.

"The hype goes on and on. You notice that just at local tournaments, where it's always enormously busy. And you see talents popping up here and there. People have realized that darts is something fun to do, alone or with friends and at any level. And Wieze's experiences are only positive. It's clear: everyone wants to be part of the party.

"Antwerp is actually already a success because of the masses of people who will come. It's too crazy for words. And the fact that I am recognized and talked to everywhere these days is part of the deal. I like to spend a minute with people, who, by the way, are always sweet and friendly. They are curious about the person behind the darter. So I don't have the need to go abroad to be 'left alone'. For fans I always have time, always!"

In recent years, Van den Bergh had little success at Euro Tour tournaments in Belgium. At the three editions of the Belgian Darts Open, "The Dreammaker" always stranded before the third round.

"I'm going there to win the tournament," Van den Bergh sounds determined to entertain the Belgian public. "That goes for every tournament I'm seeded for, but definitely now. I've never won a Euro Tour, so I'd love to fill that hole on my record. And how great would it be if I could do that in front of my own crowd?'' said Van den Bergh.