"He was a size 13, the toes curled up; it looked like I was wearing flippers": Justin Hood received Happy Feet nickname from county captain

Life as a professional darts player rarely stands still, and that is certainly true for Justin Hood right now. Since his breakthrough at the most recent World Darts Championship, the 32-year-old Englishman has been swept into a relentless run of obligations, exhibitions, and public appearances.

Hood emerged as something of a cult figure at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, eventually being stopped in the quarter-finals by Gary Anderson. In the weeks since, requests have come thick and fast.

“I’m doing good, thank you. It’s been a bit manic since,” Hood told Viaplay. “I haven’t practised like I should have, but I’ve had a couple of exhibitions, and I did a charity night last night, so I’m still throwing.”

Those exhibitions show no sign of slowing down. Events are booked across Great Britain, from Scotland to Ireland, with Australia even mentioned as a possible destination later this year. The question is no longer whether Hood will be seen, but where.

Not everything around Hood, however, revolves purely around darts. For some time, rumours have circulated about plans beyond the sport, including a striking idea: opening a Chinese restaurant. For now, though, those plans remain firmly on paper.

“At the moment it’s still in the planning stage,” Hood explained. “It’s so busy at the moment, I haven’t had time to have a proper look at it. I just want to focus on the darts this year. If an opportunity comes up, I’m sure we’ll have a look at it.”

Seeing Hood now on the biggest stage in darts, it is easy to forget that his journey began in familiar surroundings: a local pub. He first picked up darts at the age of fourteen.

“I started in a local pub. I started when I was 14,” he recalled. “I was never that good really, but I used to practise a lot.”

A key influence was his uncle, himself a strong club player. “My uncle used to be a very good player. He used to go out and play on Tuesday nights, and I’d go and practise for hours until he came home.”

Progress came steadily rather than spectacularly. “Luckily, it was when the smoking ban came in, so I didn’t have to go through all the smog, which was quite nice,” Hood joked. “It just escalated from there really. I started getting good at it and started enjoying it. Now we’re playing on the world stage.”

Every darter has a nickname, but not every nickname has an origin story as absurd as Hood’s. His ‘Happy Feet’ moniker was born during his very first county match. “You had to wear black shoes and black trousers. I didn’t know that,” he says. “So I showed up in trainers.”

A solution was found on the spot: Hood borrowed a teammate’s shoes. “He was a size 13, and I’m quite small. Those shoes were far too big. The toes curled up; it looked like I was wearing flippers.” The county captain didn’t have to think long and christened him ‘Happy Feet’ on the spot. “And the name stuck.” It didn’t yield much in sporting terms, though. “No,” Hood laughs. “I lost that match.”

Before Hood broke through, he worked as a night porter in a hotel. He did that for two to three years, until he made a drastic decision a month before Q-School. “I quit my job when I earned my PDC Tour Card. We threw everything at it.”

Together with his partner, he spent almost two months in Milton Keynes to isolate completely and focus on darts. “We put all our savings into hotels. I said to my wife: this time I want to do it right. Away from everything and everyone, two months of training and going into Q-School with a clear head.”

It was his fifth attempt. The previous four times, he kept his job, but now he went all-in. “And thankfully it paid off.”

The absolute highlight so far is undoubtedly his World Darts Championship debut. For Hood, the walk-on was a magical moment. “My first walk-on, three and a half thousand people screaming… they loved it, and so did I. I felt relaxed on the stage right away.”

Strikingly, Hood barely suffered from nerves throughout the tournament. “Only with those three darts to beat Josh Rock, after I’d missed the 12th dart for a perfect leg, did I feel tension. That was the only moment.”

Until then, he was barely aware of how special his performance was. “I only saw on the screen that I’d gone ten from ten. Then I thought: apparently I’m doing something very good.”

Still, he tried to let go of that feeling quickly. “You don’t think about records or perfect legs during a match. You think: win this leg, win the next, win the match. Nothing more.”

Afterwards, there was room for a joke. Josh Rock reportedly asked Hood for a free Chinese meal. “No chance,” Hood laughs. “But I did win.”