“I was in the crowd myself” - Gian van Veen reflects on Van Barneveld’s iconic Rotterdam walk-on before leading Dutch hopes in 2026 Premier League Darts
PDC
Gian van Veen stands on the brink of a new chapter in his still young career. The Dutchman will soon make his debut in the Premier League Darts, a competition he followed for years as a regular TV viewer but will now experience from the stage himself.
ADVERTISEMENT
In an interview with Viaplay, recorded ahead of his semi-final at the Winmau World Masters last weekend, Van Veen spoke about his expectations, dreams, and the “circus” that comes with the Premier League.
“From a young age I always watched the Premier League,” Van Veen says. “Every Thursday night I was back in front of the TV. And if you now get to take part yourself, in that whole circus, that’s something I’m really looking forward to.”
He chooses that word deliberately: the Premier League means weeks of travel, packed arenas, and sometimes multiple matches in one night. He isn’t worried about that, though. “No, not at all. I’m mainly just really looking forward to it,” he says matter-of-factly.
"I’m really looking forward to every night”
That’s exactly where the appeal lies, according to Van Veen. “There’s a lot of travel, but every night it’s a new arena, a new crowd. Everything is just a bit different. Sure, it’s the same players, but the conditions are constantly changing. Because it’s also the first time, I’m really looking forward to every night.”
The thought of sold-out venues energizes him. “All those new arenas you get to play, packed to the rafters. I don’t think I’ll struggle with that.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Where he now regularly plays in front of three to five thousand spectators, a very different scale awaits. Arenas with ten to fifteen thousand fans are no exception. “When you put it like that, that really is what you do it for,” Van Veen admits. “To actually play in front of such big venues.”
One place clearly stands out for him: Rotterdam. “Of course Rotterdam Ahoy. That’s definitely circled in red on the calendar. That’s going to be a really great experience.”
“The goal is simply to finals night"
Van Veen has ambitions too. Modest, but clear. “The goal is simply to reach finals night,” he says. “It might be my first time and maybe we’ll feel things out a bit at the start. But my goal is simply to make it to the O2 in London.”
Whether that’s as first or fourth doesn’t matter much to him. “That’s where I want to be. That’s the goal.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He sees the weekly showdowns with the absolute elite mainly as a challenge. “You have to be switched on every match,” he knows. “You’re just getting hundred, hundred-five averages thrown at you, week in, week out. It’s also a great step to experience that every week. And I also know I’m capable of that myself.”
Besides Rotterdam, he’s looking forward to other European stops, such as Antwerp and Berlin. England itself he mentions less specifically, strikingly enough. “Whether it’s Leeds or Sheffield makes little difference to me,” he says with a smile. “As long as it’s a big arena with ten or twelve thousand people, it doesn’t matter where I’m standing.”
Still, Rotterdam remains special. He remembers earlier editions. “The first time it was there, I was in the crowd myself,” Van Veen recalls. “Then Raymond came on with that legendary walk-on. That gave me goosebumps.”
The fact that he will now be introduced on that stage himself is still hard to grasp. “That’s one of those moments where I’ll have to pinch myself. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s still hard to imagine, but that will come,” he concludes.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026