Mark Webster does not expect
Luke Littler to be driven out of darts by ongoing crowd issues. The Sky Sports analyst believes the 19-year-old Englishman was mainly stung by his treatment at the
World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. According to Webster, the PDC is trying to tackle whistling during matches, although he says booing will never disappear from the sport entirely.
Littler had a turbulent weekend in the Netherlands. His bid to win every major PDC title in 2026 ended on Sunday afternoon in the quarter-finals. Jonny Clayton proved far too strong for the reigning world champion, winning 10-4.
The defeat, however, was not the main talking point afterwards. Littler repeatedly faced a hostile atmosphere from the stands throughout the weekend. Against Danny Noppert, the crowd was firmly behind the Dutchman, while unrest flared up again a day later against Nathan Aspinall. Referee Charlie Corstorphine even had to intervene during that match due to the whistling.
Littler then hinted he might skip future tournaments in the Netherlands. Webster does not think the Englishman will take it any further. "No, I don't think he's going to walk away from the sport over this," the former world champion told
Sky Sports. "He was obviously very upset about how he was treated in the Netherlands at the weekend, but some of the opponents he played - a home favourite in Danny Noppert - he was going to get some rough treatment there."
Mark Webster does not foresee a drastic decision from Luke Littler after crowd issues
PDC wants to stamp out whistling
Webster draws a clear line between booing and whistling when a player is on the oche. "I'm not saying it's right, and the whistling, I know they're trying to take it out of the game.
"The booing, they won't be able to stop, but the whistling is something that's a bugbear to a lot of players at the minute. The PDC are trying to get rid of it.
According to Webster, solutions are being tested behind the scenes. "I spoke to a few of the security guys who are experimenting with stuff within the crowd, but obviously it got on top of Luke Littler this weekend."
The analyst believes Littler’s outspoken reaction has also amplified the issue. "He was saying after games he wasn't happy with the treatment he got. I don't like saying it, but a lot of the booing is part of the game now. He kind of has drawn attention to it by speaking about it.
Whistling during a throw is a different matter, Webster says. "The whistling is annoying, and I think it's a bit sharper when the players are throwing and it puts them off. A constant boo, I think players can deal with. Luke has dealt with it in the past, and I'm sure he'll be okay."
Boycott need not disrupt Littler’s schedule
Webster would not be surprised if Littler does choose to
skip certain Dutch events. The Englishman has already given European Tour events in Germany a miss due to crowd experiences.
"If he chooses to miss events in the Netherlands, that's his prerogative. There is a Premier League night there, which I think he'll play, but the European Tour, there's 15 events during the year. He doesn't really need to go to the Netherlands, so he can cherry-pick there.
Such a boycott would barely affect his season. "So if he does decide to boycott, he can still plan out his year, really."
Webster does not see Littler quitting darts at such a young age. "He's got a long time left in the sport. I don't think he'll leave the sport as early as people make out. He loves playing darts and he's brilliant at it, so I think he'll just bounce back."
Webster also expects Littler to encounter hostile crowds again. He'll get some more rough treatment and he'll try and deal with it the way he has done the majority of the time, and just win games and win tournaments. He was a little bit hurt at the weekend."
Littler the big box office draw
Despite what happened in Amsterdam, Littler remains the sport’s main draw, says Webster. "We're still in this boom on the back of what he [Littler] did," he said. There's other players, but he is the main draw."
Webster points to Littler’s huge impact since his breakthrough. "After that run to the World Championships final on debut, and he's backed up by winning back-to-back World Championships. People buy a ticket to watch him. They may boo him, they may whistle when he throws."
"He's the best player in the world, and we've got this sort of culture in our country where the best players receive a bit of rough treatment. They want them knocked off their perch."
That status, Webster says, makes opponents and fans eager to see him lose. He still expects Littler to rebound quickly. "It's easy to forget he's 19 because he's been around since he was 16, and he's done a lot in those three years. We're already talking about sort of holding every major. As good as he is, that's always going to be difficult."
That’s why Littler, Webster adds, doesn’t need to dwell on the failed clean sweep. ""I don't think he should be too hard on himself about the weekend, he was beaten by the better man in Jonny. He acknowledged that. He was just a bit disappointed with the crowd."
With the World Grand Prix as the next major stop, Webster expects Littler to be back competing for the big prizes soon. "I fully expect him to win a few of the majors remaining. I think the European Championships will be a massive priority for him, because then he's ticked every box."