"If you’re a tournament sponsor and everything, you’d be fed up with that, wouldn’t you? - Vincent van der Voort expresses surprise at Luke Littler’s decision
PDC
The World Youth Championship throws up an unusual situation this year. Gian van Veen has opted not to defend his title, while Luke Littler is set to play. That contrast is striking to Vincent van der Voort, as Littler appears to be skipping the Players Championship Finals for now and could head into the Worlds with very few regular matches under his belt.
ADVERTISEMENT
Van Veen won the World Youth Championship in each of the past two years, but will not chase a third straight crown. Van der Voort understands that choice, he said on the Darts Draait Door podcast. “Those are the choices you make. From what I heard in his interviews last year, it was mostly about earning a Grand Slam spot. He already has that for this year. It no longer applies for next year. So he probably thought: that’s fine for now, I won’t play it.”
A third consecutive youth world title would be special, but Van der Voort also puts its value into perspective. “Aren’t we making it bigger than it is? Maybe. You’re judged on your senior titles.”
There’s also the fact that the World Youth Championship no longer sits directly alongside other commitments. “It used to. Then you were there anyway.” Now Van Veen would have to travel specifically for the youth event. With a packed calendar, rest may also be a factor, the podcast noted. “I’m fine with him not playing,” said Van der Voort.
Gian van Veen won the last two World Youth Championships but will miss the upcoming edition
Littler does opt for the World Youth Championship
Notably, Littler is on the entry list. That raises eyebrows, as the world number one has played hardly any Players Championships this season and is therefore not on course to qualify for the Players Championship Finals.
Van der Voort finds that combination peculiar. “That lad doesn’t want to go to the Players Championship Finals in Minehead. And then he plays a tournament where you qualify for Minehead, for Sunday night. Unbelievable.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The World Youth Championship final is staged during the Players Championship Finals weekend. That could mean Littler travels to Minehead for the youth finale but does not take part in the main event.
Van der Voort does not believe Littler has anything against Minehead specifically. “I don’t think it’s about Minehead. I just think he didn’t fancy those ProTours this year. More like he thought: I don’t need to play there.”
Still, it would create a striking image for the PDC if Littler reaches the youth final. “Then you’ve got, if he makes the final, the world number one on Sunday night, the world champion, someone who’s scooped just about every title and TV event, and he’s in the Development Tour final. And then the big final is played afterwards, and he’s not in that one.”
Van der Voort can see why that might not be ideal for the organisers and sponsors. “If you’re a tournament sponsor and everything, you’d be fed up with that, wouldn’t you? The biggest draw there is, the one carrying the sport right now, only comes over for the youth.”
Few matches before the Worlds
ADVERTISEMENT
Van der Voort is more concerned with Littler’s competitive schedule. If he skips the remaining Players Championships, his run-in to the Worlds could be very light. “If I were on his support team, I’d at least suggest something. Like: shall we reconsider? Otherwise he plays the European Championship and the Grand Slam. And that’s it before the Worlds.”
He questions that approach. “Isn’t that a bit thin? Proper matches. Look, the man has talent… Maybe he doesn’t need it at all. But you’d think: a bit of match sharpness.”
It matters too that Littler has gone out relatively early at two recent events. Van der Voort warns the schedule could become an issue if that happens again at the next TV tournaments. “He’s lost early at two tournaments now. If it goes wrong at the European Championship as well, or at the Grand Slam before the quarter-finals, then you’ve played very few matches before the Worlds. And that’s hugely important.”
Van der Voort therefore does not rule out Littler deciding to play a few floor events after all. “He might think: maybe I need a couple of ProTours to play myself back into form.”
“We never get insight into that”
ADVERTISEMENT
Much of this remains speculation. Little clarity is given around Littler and his planning, according to Van der Voort. “Maybe he’ll pick up four more ProTours. Or maybe he’ll let it depend on those two in England. That’s possible too. But we don’t know, because we never get any insight from him. That makes it very difficult.”
The World Youth Championship itself remains compelling, even without Van Veen. Littler is naturally one of the headline names in the field. Van der Voort also highlights players such as Beau Greaves and Sebastian Bialecki to watch.
Read also
There are Dutch prospects to follow as well. The podcast mentions Jurjen van der Velde, Jamai van den Herik, and Angelo Balsamo among others. Van der Voort is particularly enthusiastic about Balsamo.
“I’m very curious about Angelo. I think he’s a really good player. Just a good lad as well. He has the odd quirk now and then, but he really is a good player.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Van der Voort also sees plenty of development left in the young Dutchman. “I’m very curious how he’ll do, because he’s still developing. I think there’s a lot more to come from him. He just really benefits from good personal guidance.”
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- James Wade has become James Wide. He has piled on the tonnage considerably, he barely fits in his shirt.richieburnettrocks03-10-2026
- Littler will play whatever tournaments he decides. But does every headline have to start with him? Bristow bought Taylor through,and he followed that with Lewis. I can't see littler doing the same. Let him choose,and lose,he's getting good at that lately!rick6702-10-2026
- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
Loading