"I'm the luckiest gay man in sports": Darts referee Huw Ware lauds PDC for support of new LGBTQ+ initiative

Darts referee Huw Ware has lauded the PDC for their continued help in promoting LGBTQ+ initiatives. This includes his new venture Out on the Oche which mirrors prominent football clubs who also follow suit.

But Ware who is openly gay and has been behind the PDC's involvement in Stonewall and Rainbow Laces in the past for instance has said that positive and negative comments have happened which shows it's needed on either end.

Aiming to bring LGBTQ+ people together through darts, Ware says that he speaks at a variety of conferences and that some schemes are lacking so he wants to promote change.

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"Out on the Oche is the new official darts LGBT group so we see Premier League football clubs like Manchester United have Rainbow Devils and Tottenham Hotspur have proud Lilywhites and so on. We've thought that it would be a good idea for this year to start up an official darts group," said Ware to Sky Sports Darts.

"The aim of the group is to connect LGBT darts people whether fans, players, officials across all levels of the game to connect with each other, to share each other's stories if they would like top and also to work with official dart bodies from academy to professional game to try and make darts as safe and inclusive as possible."

"Looking at some of the reaction since I've set up the group, some of it hasn't been particularly nice. I've come in for a lot of stick, I've also had a lot of nice comments as well which are the ones you hold onto. But I think it's a good indication that it's something that's needed."

"The PDC have been fantastic as always in backing and promoting the scheme. I must say I think as far as the PDC is concerned I'm the luckiest gay man in sports, I really do. I go to a lot of different meetings, conferences and talk to a lot of people from other sports. Their organisations throw support behind campaigns but sometimes the actions are lacking behind the words. Where as the PDC back up their words with actions. If we've helped one person, that would do me."