Is Gary Anderson open to a Premier League return? “No. Even if I win the Worlds”

In a lively Edinburgh setting this week, Gary Anderson sat down for an extended conversation with Online Darts. The two-time world champion looked relaxed, even with the PDC World Darts Championship fast approaching. But behind that easy grin is a man who knows exactly where he stands: still dangerous, still adored, and more realistic than ever.

“This is one of the best venues you can go to, you know,” Anderson said as he looked around the room. In Scotland, he gets treated like a hero — something he still finds unusual. “You get treated like a hero here. Not often I get that. It’s nice when I come back up the road. But no, they’re great. It’s always a great atmosphere here.”

December is traditionally his warm up period, and again this year he is using a run of exhibitions to sharpen up for Alexandra Palace. “We try to do as many exhibitions as we can in December and that kind of works out as your practice, doesn’t it?” he explained. “Where were we last night? Dumfries. Some cracking players up there. Some good D players, which was a good exhibition — but a proper game of darts.”

That practice feels especially welcome given his recent equipment changes. And yes, he knows exactly what the jokes sound like. “I’ve turned into Peter, haven’t I? I’m changing my darts,” he laughed, referring to Peter Wright’s legendary tinkering. “I can’t seem to… my darts are dropping. So I thought we’d try these plastic stems. I’m not a great fan of plastic flights all in one things, but they’re doing alright. I’m actually surprised.”

Ally Pally and Gary Anderson remain a special pairing. But Anderson plays down expectations the way only he can. He faces Adam Hunt in round one, someone he knows well from their years in the same management stable.

“Adam is a good little player,” he said. And the first round? The same for everyone. “Every player — Van Gerwen, Humphries — they always say the first game is the most nervous game. You’ve got to get past that first game.”

He is a fan of the current format where every player now starts in round one. “Everyone plays one round, which is good because they now get that extra game on stage,” he said. “It used to be a bit… if you played somebody that had already been up there.”

It is a question he has been asked for years. “I know in my head that if I put more time in, there’s nothing to say I can’t play as good as what I did three, four, five, six years ago,” Anderson said. “It’s just finding the time. The youngsters are coming through, but I’m hitting averages that are out doing them on some occasions. So if I can keep that going and put more time in, then it doesn’t matter if you’re 55 or 25.”

His Grand Slam of Darts campaign this year showed the same peaks and dips that have become a custom in Anderson's game over recent years. “When I played Beau this year at the Grand Slam… she is good. She is bloody good. And I did play well.” Against Van Gerwen, though? “I was absolute rubbish.”

His popularity remains extraordinary, even if he’s not on social media himself. “The fans are fantastic,” he said. “I’m going to try. Once we get up there, we always try.”

At home, he stays grounded thanks to his son Ty. “He thinks I’m rubbish. I can’t argue with him. I totally agree with him,” Anderson joked. He doesn’t push Ty to follow in his footsteps. “It’s going to be his choice. When I retire, I ain’t driving to dart tournaments with you. And you’ll never be as good as your old man.”

The darts world revolves around Luke Littler right now, but Anderson points out a crucial detail. “Littler is now number one, but what you’ve got to remember is Luke Humphries spent the last two years defending money from two years before that and he’s only just lost his number one spot. Shows you how good Humphries is,” he said. “Now Littler has to defend. That’s when the true colours show.”

On the weight of the World Championship in the rankings, Anderson did not hold back. “It’s a big jump, isn’t it? You could get somebody in the top 32 winning it. Top four even. But that’s the way it is.”

His main concern is for the lower ranked players. He said: “They’re out of pocket.”

To many pundits, including Phil Taylor, Anderson is one of the five best players ever. He shrugs off the praise. “It’s kind of weird because I never look at that. I’m just Gary,” he said. “I’ve had the pleasure of playing with Phil Taylor and all these boys — your Luke’s, your Michael van Gerwen’s, Luke Humphries, Littler. It’s been good.”

The yearly question: will he stop? “It would spoil it, wouldn’t it? Keep you thinking,” he said. Pressed on whether he’d really leave his fans hanging, he gave his classic answer: “You never know. If I turn up, I turn up. If I don’t, I don’t.”

And yes, there is one scenario where he might take a break. “If I win the Worlds, maybe I have a year off,” he smiled.

But walking away entirely? Not yet. “I’m still in the top 16. Don’t play everything. Miss things. It’s not bad, is it?”

Fans had one last hope: a Premier League return. Anderson shut the door immediately. “No,” he said. “Even if I win the Worlds and I went to number two, I couldn’t do it.”

He explained why. “Sixteen weeks is a long time. People think it’s one night. It’s not one night. Wednesday you’re travelling, Thursday you’re playing, Friday you’re trying to get home.”

But there is one format that might tempt him. “I’ve said years ago they should have two divisions — an A and a B,” Anderson said. “You play once every fortnight. That would work better.”