"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
PDC
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.
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“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.”
More than just darts
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.
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“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.”
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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.”
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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.”
Pressure from the Netherlands
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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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Orange dream in Rotterdam
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.”
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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.”
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.
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- 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
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- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026