"Mate, I’m 52 in the world – we don’t get any say in anything": Alan Soutar vocal on lack of support from PDPA for lower ranked players

Alan Soutar admitted he was left drained, relieved and brutally honest after surviving a dramatic opening-round battle at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship as he saw off Teemu Harju after missing 15 match darts.

Soutar made a blistering start at Alexandra Palace, racing through the opening two sets in scintillating fashion before seeing the contest turn sharply against him.

“That is exactly the right word – relieved,” Soutar said post match. “I knew I was practising well, I knew I’d prepared well. The first two sets were great and then, all of a sudden, I don’t know, I just fell off a cliff.

“I actually looked up at the screens when I came back on for the third set and saw my average. I don’t know if that’s something that gets in your head – you think, ‘Oh, you’re playing well here.’ Maybe it’s something the PDC can look at, putting the screen somewhere we can’t see it."

“I knew I was playing well, but I’ll take it because I was very lucky to win that match. Very lucky.”

Strong preparation helped fuel Soutar’s fast start, with the Scottish No.2 revealing high-quality practice sessions with Chris Dobey in the build-up to the tournament. “I practised with Chris Dobey yesterday and we had unbelievable matches against each other,” he explained. “I thought, if I can push Chris, then I can beat Teemu – but that’s not the way it works.

“Darts is a weird sport. He came back at me great. In the last couple of sets he was smashing the scores, hitting 180s and 140s, and he seemed to check out last dart every time. That’s kind of my thing and it hurts.

“It really hurts when you’re looking at the ground thinking, ‘Give me a chance,’ but he kept checking out last dart. So yeah, just relieved.”

Asked what caused the sudden dip in performance, Soutar admitted it was difficult to pinpoint a single factor, acknowledging both his own mindset and his opponent’s improvement.

“Maybe seeing the average played a part, I don’t know,” he said. “I always watch it back and critique myself, so I’ll watch it back and maybe not look up at the screens.

“But also, he probably started playing a bit better. Those two things collided. He was the better player in the last couple of sets – but I’m a better player. Credit to Teemu, of course.”

Despite the momentum shift, Soutar managed to steady himself in a nervy decider, even though doubts crept in as memories of previous World Championship disappointments resurfaced. “I actually thought I was going to lose,” he admitted. “I stood at the back thinking, ‘It’s over. He’s going to check this out and that’s me done.’ I looked over to my family and my manager and thought, ‘Sorry, guys.’ I kind of had a moment.

“But darts is funny. I think he had double eight and nearly double 11, and I thought, ‘Hmm.’ I’m not a top, top player – it’s expected there’s going to be a bit of drama.”

Experience ultimately told, with Soutar pinning double 16 to close out a 15-dart deciding leg and claim a vital win.

“Averages, missed darts, trebles, visits – all that stuff is irrelevant,” he said. “It’s a W. I’ll take a 90-average win, I’ll take an 83-average win. Everyone will tell you that first-round game is horrible, but you just want to win it.

“The standard now is so different to even five years ago. It’s really hard. No disrespect to Teemu – give the guy kudos for being at Ally Pally. He almost beat me and maybe should have. I’m quite happy my experience maybe got me over the line on that double 16.”

The victory also carries ranking significance, with Soutar currently sitting just outside the sport’s elite but realistic about the limitations of the modern system.

“People talk about the top 64, but I’m 52 in the world – I’m nowhere near that cut line,” he said. “The reality is I’m happy for next year.

“With the ranking changes, I’m realistically a 32-to-64 player. You’re never closing that gap in the next couple of years. I’m quite happy and I think I’ll maintain the top 64 for the next few years.”

Looking ahead to a second-round clash with Dutch prospect Gian van Veen, Soutar knows the level required. “I know I need to play like that against him,” he said. “I’ve played him a few times on the ProTour. If I can replicate the first couple of sets and make it a third set, then he goes back to Holland three-nil down.”

Away from the oche, Soutar continues to juggle professional darts with his role in the Fire Brigade – something he remains unapologetic about. “The guys who play all the time have a foot up – that’s their job,” he said. “It’s not my job. I’m just here for a jolly. I’m back on night shift tomorrow night and I’m happy with that.”

That balance, however, comes with sacrifices, particularly for players outside the top 32 who must commit to every available event under the current structure.

“You need to be at every ProTour if you’re not in the top 32,” Soutar explained. “With the way the rankings are now, it’s almost impossible to climb.

“Go and look at the gaps at 16, 32, 48 and 64 – they’re massive. Unless you’re a young Luke Littler, Springer or Charlie Manby, it’s almost impossible for the rest of us.

“For me, the whole year comes down to the Players Championship Finals and Ally Pally. If you’re in both, you’ll probably keep your tour card.”

Soutar also reiterated his long-standing concerns over the European Tour structure and the wider system, admitting that players in his ranking bracket have little influence when it comes to effecting change.

Asked whether he had raised those concerns directly with the PDC or the PDPA, Soutar was characteristically blunt.

“Mate, I’m 52 in the world – we don’t get any say in anything,” he said. “The PDPA is there for the players, isn’t it? But for guys in my position, you just get on with it.”

Despite the workload, Soutar insists his situation is far from unique. “A lot of guys still have jobs,” he said. “They make a big thing about me being a firefighter, but you can make it a system. I have to be at every ProTour – I can’t miss one.

“It’s going to be £12,500 next year and that’s mega important to qualify for the last two events. Willie O’Connor, Mickey Mansell – we’re all in the same boat. We need to be at everything because you’re probably not going to be in many Euro Tours now.”

Reflecting on his World Championship journey, Soutar acknowledged the weight of expectation he carries as one of Scotland’s leading players. “The expectation from Scotland is huge,” he said. “Everybody thinks I’ll be great and you’re like, ‘I maybe won’t be, but I’ll try my best.’ I feel that weight. I think experience counted on that last dart at double 16. When I was on 45, my manager was saying go nine, double 18, but I’d missed 18s a few times, so I thought, ‘Go 13 and change it up,’ and it worked.”

Soutar also reflected positively on his wider season, highlighting consistency on the ProTour as the foundation of his campaign. “The Euro Tour isn’t important for a guy in my position – the ProTour is,” he said. “I had three quarter-finals, two of them back-to-back in Milton Keynes, and that weekend pretty much put me in Ally Pally. The floor is brutal. It’s hard to get through the first round, never mind a quarter-final. I lost a lot of first-round matches, but you’re often drawn against seeds. It’s a hard graft.”

Finally, Soutar was quick to praise both his opponent and the strength of darts emerging from Scandinavia. “These guys are class players – they’re just not getting the breaks,” he said. “The Nordic-Baltic Tour is brilliant. One of my best mates on tour is Madars Razma and I’ve seen him get better and better – unless he plays me.”