INTERVIEW – Soutar on winning PDC Tour Card, turning down Gary Anderson’s backing and playing for Scotland
PDC
Alan Soutar will join the ranks of the PDC Tour when the
Super Series begins on Thursday after being a real standout from both stages of
Q-School.
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Soutar is a previous BDO/WDF winner, a former Lakeside
qualifier and a proud Scot with over 50 caps for his country. He spoke to DartsNews.com
after being part of a new batch of Tour Card holders.
“Still trying to get my head around it a little bit but I’ve
had a busy few days since I got home so it’s kind of sinking in now,” said
Soutar to DartsNews.com.
Heading to Q-School for the first time, it was pressure
filled he admitted due to his previous success back home.
“It was a difficult one because there was a lot of
expectation on me because I’ve never went before and I’ve been quite a successful
player in Scotland.
“A lot of people expected me to do ok. So, I think when I
went down there, I could feel the pressure of that.”
A lot was made for 2021 Q-School regarding the two stages but
for Soutar, he was a fan of how it was ran and the split between the two.
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“Obviously it’s this step up to the PDC but I found it quite
comfortable. Not in a bragging way at all, I had a good draw first day, played
really well.
"The actual main 128 Q-School was a lot harder. It was good the way
it was split, I think that worked.”
It was a debut at Q-School for Soutar like alluded to which
meant also dealing with bubble life for the first time. While some dislike this
scenario, he believes it helps with concentration on the task at hand.
“It was very different. I’ve been away a lot playing darts
and I’ve experienced darts for the last 30 years.
"Being isolated in your room,
the Covid testing situation – even after qualifying for 1B, you still had to
have another test. It lets you concentrate on darts and practice.”
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Starting off in darts and playing for Scotland
Despite being known to those in the BDO/WDF scene and on a
national level, Soutar was a potential unknown to those only watching PDC. He
discussed his start in the game.
“I’ve played darts for a long time. My grandparents owned a
pub in my local town so I’ve always been around the boozer playing darts. I’ve
played a lot of league, superleague and county darts over a long period of
time.
“There’s an awful lot of county players that are at a very
high level that maybe just don’t have the inclination to go or the backing to
go.
"Covid was the big thing for me that made me go to Q-School, apart from the
backing of Big 5 management.”
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Speaking of the national aspect of the game and representing
his country, he described the feeling which is like no other.
“There’s nothing like it. I’ve played at Lakeside a few
times and won WDF ranked events - but to walk out for your country, it’s not just
playing darts for yourself, you know everyone into darts is watching willing to
win.”
“It’s just the passion and what you feel when you represent
your country is amazing.”
Previous offer of help from Anderson to join the tour
It was touched upon during his interview with Dan Dawson on
the daily updates on Q-School about an offer given by Gary Anderson a few years
back to play the tour.
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“Gary was actually in my home town of Arbroath for an exhibition.
At the end of it, he got me on the stage,” he added.
“We’ve been aware of each other for quite a few years and he
offered me the backing on the stage in front of the whole town. He put me on
the spot a bit and said think about it and let me know.”
“Obviously I let him know saying no. I’m a full-time firefighter
so I work shifts. I get time off but they’re not friendly for weekends.”
“It’s not the kind of job you can just come and go so that
was the main reason I turned him down.
"If I’d been unemployed or maybe in a job
that wasn’t paying as much, I would have probably thought about it back then.”
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“I think I’ve learnt a lot more so I’m probably better set
up now for a crack at the PDC proper on the ProTour.”
Balancing full time work with the PDC dream
Still working full time though, Soutar admitted it has
already been difficult to find the time to continue his day job and still play
every event – even before he toes the oche on Thursday.
“I think the blocks of ProTours are better than two
weekends. But I’ve just had to get seven swaps for March.
“We will have to see, I’m back at work in between coming back
from Bolton and going to the UK Open so then I have to sit down with my gaffers
at work and see where we go.”
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“It doesn’t lend itself to you keeping your job. I can’t
give in my job because I haven’t earnt a single penny as a PDC player, so we
need to see how we do.”
Ambitions going into debut season
So, what are his ambitions going into his debut season and
even his opening events?
The overall goal for Soutar is to keep his card, but going short
term into the Super Series, the potential repercussions for the UK Open are on
his mind.
“The whole point of it is to keep the card. Paul (Brown, his
manager) speaks to me all the time, the conversations we’ve had, he’s so
confident I can get in there and get involved.
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“He’s spoke about even this first Super Series getting some
money on the board can jump you out of the first round of the UK Open so that’s
maybe even a target.
"We will see how these four days go, you might get beat
first round every day.”
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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