Gian van Veen spends National Numeracy Day at school in Sheffield ahead of final Premier League outing

Ahead of the Night 16 of the Premier League Darts, Gian van Veen took the time out of his busy schedule to visit a school in Sheffield for a special session of Bullseye Maths on National Numeracy Day.

Van Veen will be in action for one final time in his debut Premier League campaign, and will want to end on a high. Beforehand, he was spending time at Watercliffe Meadow Community Primary School. He discussed his own occurrences with maths as part of charity National Numeracy's 'Big Number Natter.' They try and get younger people into match and help them be more eased with numbers.

Following that, he led two sessions of the PDC's Bullseye Maths numeracy scheme, intertwining maths and darts in fun activities with Year 5 students.

It was not just the students who had a good time. The teachers were glowing with praise over the day and activities that had been provided. Dave Tompkinson, Year 5 teacher from Watercliffe Meadow, said: "The Bullseye Maths event really opened my eyes to the value of darts in primary schools and the brilliant influence it can have on mathematical developments.

"It was amazing to see children who really lack confidence in maths shine as the darts gave numbers a purpose. A 10/10 and a big 180 for us!"

This is just one of the many sessions Bullseye Maths has had across the country in schools with young people as they look to encourage the use of numbers via darts among the younger generation.

Tim Schwarz, Head of Brand and Marketing from Vanquis, said: "As proud partners of the PDC, we're delighted to support Bullseye Maths and bring learning to life in such an engaging way.

"Collaborating with National Numeracy Day helps us champion confidence with numbers, showing young people that maths can be both accessible and fun, whether in the classroom or through the world of darts."

Sam Sims, CEO of independent charity National Numeracy, which runs National Numeracy Day, stamped down on the importance of younger people using maths in their everyday life. "Today is all about helping children and families build confidence with numbers and recognise that maths is everywhere.

"Bullseye Maths sessions like this are a brilliant way to bring that message to life, showing students how numeracy connects to the sports and activities they already enjoy. It's a great way for pupils to learn together, have fun and build skills that will support them throughout their lives."

The JDC's Education Team were behind the Bullseye Maths session, overviewing hundreds of school visits across England and Wales. JDC Director of Education Gary Horsley expanded on this. "Maths and darts just go together and today's session really developed the students' maths skills using darts as a fun example.

"It was wonderful to again be able to support National Numeracy Day and it was great to see how everyone at Watercliffe Meadow involved themselves in the sessions and showed such enthusiasm for Bullseye Maths."

For this year at least, van Veen will see his Premier League Darts campaign come to an end after it was confirmed last week he was unable to qualify for Finals Night.

Along with Josh Rock, the Dutchman has not won a night and will be desperate to end the Premier League on a positive note. It will be likely that he makes a return in the coming years. Thanks to being third in the world, he is very much likely to feature next year via the rankings and will hope that time around he can go a step further and challenge for more major glory. He will take on Gerwyn Price in the quarter-final stage in Sheffield.