"I got messages from a few darters saying they loved the celebration": Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison used legendary darting star as inspiration

James Maddison has revealed that Jamie Vardy was the standout performer at the dartboard during his time at Leicester City. According to the English playmaker, the level in the dressing room was strikingly high, with several teammates effortlessly posting big scores. Maddison’s love for the game even led to contact with two-time world champion Gary Anderson, after the midfielder introduced his now well-known darts celebration following a goal.

The current Tottenham Hotspur player told the Double Top podcast that darts was a fixed part of team life at Leicester. The dartboard routinely traveled to away matches and European trips, and they even made space for a game on the plane. Especially the night before a match, they often threw, and according to Maddison it was anything but amateurish.

“We actually had a really good darts school. We took the board to every away game, so basically every week. If we played in Europe it went along as well, even onto the plane. The night before a match we’d often throw a few darts. About eight of us would be involved, sometimes staff as well. We’d have little tournaments and stuff—it was good fun.”

According to Maddison, the standard at the oche within the Leicester squad was surprisingly high. Multiple players could produce heavy scores, and 180s were no rarity during their head-to-heads.

“Micky van der Ven is pretty good. But at Leicester the level was really high. Jamie Vardy is very good.”

Besides Vardy, several other players were regularly on the board. "Jamie Vardy, Danny Ward, myself, Harvey Barnes, Luke Thomas and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall—we were all throwing. The 180s were flying in.”

Within the squad, one game variant was played particularly fanatically: Tactics, better known as cricket. It was popular because several players could take part at once, which only heightened the competitive edge.

“We played a game called Tactics, basically cricket. Very popular because it’s 2-v-2, so four players could play at the same time. It got pretty intense.”

What began as a relaxed knock for a bit of fun often turned into a serious contest.

“The level at Leicester was really high. Even if you think you’re good, you could get absolutely smashed.”

Maddison is now also known for his darts gesture after scoring, where he throws an imaginary dart. That celebration emerged about six years ago, around the time of the World Darts Championship. The midfielder clearly remembers how the idea came about during an away match against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day.

“I think I did it for the first time about five or six years ago, around the lockdown period and the Worlds. It was around the away game against Newcastle on New Year’s Day. The night before we were throwing darts a lot. We won 2-0 and I scored.”

At that moment he decided to carry the darts theme onto the pitch.

“I think that evening was also the Worlds final. I used the line on the pitch as my oche when I scored.”

Maddison followed the World Darts Championship closely at the time and had a clear favorite. “I was rooting for Gary Anderson. I think it was the final against Gezzy. Then I thought: I’m going to do a darts celebration.”

The gesture didn’t go unnoticed in the darts world. Maddison received messages from various players, and even Anderson himself reached out. “I got messages from a few darters saying they loved the celebration. I’d said in an interview that I hoped Gary would win, and after that I also spoke to him. I’ve been in contact with him since, which is really cool.”

Since then, the gesture has become a staple in his repertoire. “From that moment on I started doing that celebration more and more. It’s become a bit of my trademark now.”