"I’m not used to losing as many matches as I probably will over the next couple of weeks": Gian van Veen ready for new normal in Premier League debut

It is only now really sinking in for Gian van Veen that he is about to make his Premier League Darts debut. During the media day ahead of the prestigious tournament, it dawned on him that he will truly be part of it on Thursday night.

“A little bit, especially now after a couple of hours of media,” Van Veen admits when asked if it is starting to feel real. “I think that helps to make it real. Being here in Newcastle, seeing the trophy next to me, that made it a bit more real. Even the travel day yesterday still felt quite surreal.”

For Van Veen, this media day was his first real introduction to the commercial and public side of life at the top of the sport. The Premier League has long been about more than what happens on the board. “Yeah, of course I’m ready,” he says. “It helps that my English is good enough to do this kind of stuff. It feels quite natural, although after a couple of hours it can get a bit difficult in a second language. But it’s part of the job and I don’t mind it at all.”

From a sporting perspective, Van Veen enters this campaign with confidence. His run at the Masters, where he reached the semi-finals, provided confirmation.

“It’s in a very good place,” he says. “The Masters was a good tournament for me, getting to the semi-finals again. Of course the semi-final itself was disappointing, but my game is in a good place and I feel very confident.”

At the same time, he is realistic about what awaits him. “I know the Premier League is going to be very tough,” Van Veen says. “I’m not used to losing as many matches as I probably will over the next couple of weeks, and I think that will really define me as a person — how I come back from that. But I’ll be ready, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

One of those painful moments came in his recent meeting with Luke Humphries, who ended Van Veen’s unbeaten record against him. “A little bit, yeah,” he admits. “He said it after the game as well — that he’d finally broken the curse. I said that was fine, but it didn’t need to be 5–0, it could have been 5–2 or 5–3.”

Van Veen can put it into perspective. “But we’re going to play each other so many times now, it was bound to happen. Of course it was disappointing.”

As an eight-year-old, Van Veen sat in front of the TV every Thursday night. The Premier League was a fixture. “Yeah, for sure it’s a dream,” he says. “I think the first year I watched was around 2009 or 2010 — I was about eight years old. Every Thursday night I was in front of the TV.”

On Thursday night, he will be on that stage himself. “To step onto that stage for the first time is going to be a real pinch-me moment.”

Does he see himself as the one to break the recent dominance of the ‘two Lukes’? Van Veen remains cautious. “I don’t see myself finishing top of the league,” he says. “I think they’re too good for that, especially Luke Littler. Once he gets through the quarter-finals and into the semis, he becomes a different guy — he’s very good there.”

His goal is clear. “But if I can finish in the top four and get to the O2, then I think I’ve got a good shot.”

After a year in which everything moved fast, attention is also growing — particularly in the Netherlands. “Of course there’s extra pressure,” Van Veen acknowledges. “But I don’t really feel it. I’m just going to do what I’ve always done.”

He consciously tries to keep some distance from expectations and debates. “I read social media — people always say who does or doesn’t deserve to be in,” he explains. “I didn’t want that to get into my head. I earned my spot, and I think that will help me settle into the Premier League.”

His earliest Premier League memories are still vivid. “Especially 2010 — the final between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld,” he recalls. “I remember screaming on the couch because it was such a beautiful game.”

A year later left another lasting impression. “2011 was the first full year I really remember, with Gary Anderson winning it. That’s when I became a big Gary Anderson fan as well.”

Over the next sixteen weeks, Van Veen will play in arenas bigger than anything he has experienced so far. “First of all, I’m just going to enjoy it — the big arenas, big crowds,” he says. “Hopefully I’ll get some good support as well.”

One night stands out immediately: Rotterdam. “I’m really looking forward to that,” he says. “I’ve been in that crowd many times as a fan, and now I’ll be on that stage. That’s something special.”

Van Veen does not see his Masters semi-final as a new benchmark. “Not really a minimum,” he explains. “If I get to a semi-final at a major, I’ll call that a successful tournament. Of course I want to go further, but that’s the main goal.”

Playing the elite week in, week out ruthlessly exposes weaknesses — something Van Veen is already prepared for. “That’s a good question,” he says when asked about vulnerabilities. “I think the biggest thing is that you’re going to lose more than you’re used to. We’ve seen players struggle outside the Premier League because of that.”

That’s why balance is crucial. “But I also know I can beat everyone in this field — I’ve done it before. In a best-of-11, anything can happen.”

Van Veen intends to be fully aware of his first walk-on. “I’m just going to enjoy it,” he says. “Maybe even enjoy the first leg. But after that, it’s game time.”

Because enjoying it isn’t enough, especially with Luke Littler as his first opponent. “Especially against Luke Littler, you can’t enjoy it too much — because even that might not be enough.”

His motivation is clear. “If you lose five or six times in a row, he’s already 2–0 up before the game starts,” Van Veen says. “You need to poke back at him, and tomorrow is the perfect day to do that.”

When Van Veen looks ahead to Rotterdam, he visibly lights up. “The first time it was held there, I was in the crowd for Raymond’s walk-on and even then I got goosebumps,” he recalls.

Now, almost ten years later, he gets to experience that moment himself. “To now do that myself, seeing the Orange Army — that’s a date I circled in red as soon as I got the call-up.”

Asked whether he ever imagined himself there as a child, Van Veen shakes his head. “No, definitely not,” he says. “I was just enjoying it. I didn’t even think about playing darts myself back then. My parents played at home, but not competitively.”

It only really started later. “When I saw there was a competition at my football club, I joined,” he explains. “Once it started rolling, I realised this was my dream.”

The real belief came years later. “Probably around 2021 or 2022, when I won my first Challenge Tour event,” Van Veen says. “That’s when I thought, maybe I can get my tour card — and six months later, that happened. After that, everything went very fast.”

Does the lack of Dutch media attention bother him? "Maybe a little,” he admits. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but it would be nice. Darts is massive in the Netherlands with what Michael van Gerwen and Raymond have done — and what I’m doing now. I think it would be good for the sport.”