"I won't play every event – I want to be there for my kids" - Dimitri van den Bergh prioritises family over relentless PDC schedule

Dimitri Van den Bergh’s 2025 season has been anything but straightforward. The 31-year-old Belgian welcomed his second daughter in July, but has also endured a difficult run on the oche, taking the rare step of pausing his career mid-season.

In early April, Van den Bergh withdrew from a Players Championship floor event without throwing a dart, then skipped around five successive tournaments. It was an uncharacteristic decision for a player who, since bursting onto the PDC scene, has built a reputation for relentless commitment to the circuit.

His return came at the World Cup of Darts, but alongside Mike De Decker, Belgium’s campaign was short-lived – a group stage exit that underlined how far he still had to go in regaining sharpness. Since then, his results have been mixed, with early-round defeats in both Players Championship events and European Tour qualifiers.

Despite that, Van den Bergh is adamant the break was the right call. “Fantastic, because I was feeling really bad in myself – with my body, my mental health,” he told TalkSport. “Ten years long I’ve done all the tournaments I possibly could and I just kept pushing, kept going forward."

“Obviously in those ten years a lot has happened. I was about to become a dad again – my second little girl was coming into the world in July – and I’m already a dad to another kid who’s three and a half now. All of that just gives you a different perspective on life," he adds. “My dreams have always been to do what I love most, which is play darts and be successful at it, but also to have my own family and build a future, build a legacy. Those things are very important to me. For some reason I was just tiptoeing in the same place, so I said I’ll take a step back and come back stronger. That’s still my goal and my mission.”

Van den Bergh hasn’t spent the break in idle mode. The former World Matchplay champion has been working hard to rebuild both physically and mentally. “Whatever I’m doing back home – eating healthy, going to the gym, taking care of myself, practising a lot – it’s working for me. Plus, I’ve got extra time with the family.”

The punishing nature of the PDC schedule has become a recurring talking point in recent seasons. With Players Championship events, European Tour qualifiers, TV majors and the World Series all crammed into a calendar that runs virtually year-round, more players have spoken about burnout and the need to manage their diaries.

Luke Humphries has admitted that missing the odd event has helped him sustain form at the majors, while Gerwyn Price’s selective approach has drawn both support and criticism. Van den Bergh now counts himself among those willing to sacrifice appearances for longevity. “Correct – you miss a lot,” he said. “The PDC has done amazing with how many opportunities they give us. The tour is a whole lot busier now, but they always say we choose to manage our schedule, we choose to manage our calendar.

“They give us those opportunities, and they’re fine with it if we pull out of a tournament – there’s always someone else ready to step into my place," clarifies the Belgian. "So it’s okay.”

For Van den Bergh, this isn’t about winding down – it’s about extending his career on his own terms. “I still have plenty of dreams, but I’m not going to play every tournament at all costs. I want to be there for my kids as they grow up. The Pro Tour is packed with events these days, but it’s not the end of the world to miss one now and then.”

The Belgian’s words hint at a shift in mentality that could become more common among the sport’s elite. With the standard on tour higher than ever, the physical and mental demands of playing week in, week out are no longer a badge of honour for every pro – for some, strategic rest may be the new competitive edge.