“It’s different now. They’re focused on Littler the whole time” – Vincent van der Voort found Premier League night in Rotterdam an anti-climax

The Premier League Darts night at Rotterdam Ahoy should have been a celebration for Dutch fans, but according to Vincent van der Voort it mainly ended in disappointment.

Not only were both Dutch participants eliminated early, the atmosphere in the arena also left much to be desired according to the former professional darter. On the podcast Darts Draait Door he looked back candidly on an evening that felt like an anticlimax to him.

With Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen on stage, there had been hope beforehand for a big Dutch night. Little came of it. Both players lost convincingly by 6-2. Van der Voort was blunt in his analysis. “From a Dutch perspective, it was two times 6–2, which isn’t great. And both losses were pretty heavy as well.”

At the same time, he frankly admitted the opponents simply played strongly. “I thought Clayton played brilliantly against Michael van Gerwen, and Luke Humphries was also very good against Gian van Veen.” Still, the lingering feeling was mainly disappointment that the Dutch players could not spring a surprise on home soil. “But we definitely expected a bit more.”

According to Van der Voort, the entire evening revolved around one theme: the booing of Luke Littler. The young Englishman was already under fire after earlier incidents, and that continued in Rotterdam.

“Yes, it seemed to dominate the whole evening,” said Van der Voort. main theme seemed to be booing Littler instead of supporting the Dutch players. It would’ve been better if the crowd focused on creating a great atmosphere.”

He felt that was a missed opportunity. Instead of a festive darts night with support for the home favorites, the focus, in his view, shifted entirely to one player.

Van der Voort had especially hoped for more vocal backing for Gian van Veen. The Dutchman made his Premier League debut on home soil, but he did not receive the support that such a moment deserves, according to him.

“That’s fine, booing Littler,” said Van der Voort. “But I had actually also, it was Van Veen’s first time, kind of hoped. A bit behind him. Chanting his name constantly. That disappointed me.”

Even Michael van Gerwen, a crowd favorite in Ahoy for years, received less support than in previous years according to Van der Voort. “With Michael it was also much less than normal.”

Van der Voort believes the atmosphere has mainly changed because a different audience has found its way to Ahoy. Whereas the first editions were attended by true darts aficionados, he now more often sees a general events crowd. “It’s about the type of crowd. Now it’s more of an event crowd—people coming for a night out. That changes everything.”

As a result, part of the unique atmosphere for which Rotterdam was praised for years is disappearing, he said. “In the early years at Ahoy, it was real darts fans creating an incredible atmosphere. Even English managers and the PDC were amazed.”

According to Van der Voort, the character of the event has changed. “It’s different now. They’re focused on Littler the whole time.” Where the sport used to be central, it now seems more like a night out. That, he said, affects the atmosphere in the venue.

Still, he sees opportunities to bring back the old feeling. “They could have made it a full-night celebration. That’s something the Dutch are known for. Normally, we’re good at that.”

Van der Voort does not have a ready-made solution, but he did float an idea to get more passionate darts fans into the arena. “I don’t think it has to do with the location, but with the people buying tickets.”

He suggested looking at a system where loyal visitors or members of darts organisations can buy tickets earlier. “For example, if you’re a member of a darts federation, you could get earlier access to tickets.”

His hope is clear: more genuine darts fans in the stands. “I hope more darts fans will attend again. I keep thinking back to the first two or three years—that was truly a party.”

Although Van der Voort was critical of the crowd’s attitude, he did see how Littler held his own impressively in hostile conditions. In his view, it would even have been a fine sporting tale had the Englishman won the night. ““That would have been the best outcome for the whole evening.”

He referred to a scenario in which Littler would have taken the title home despite all the hostility. “Everyone was against him. He may not have behaved well a few weeks ago, but this would have been a great sports story.”

For a moment, that scenario seemed to become reality in the final. “He went for it. At the start of the final I thought, wow, are we going to see it again—another match like that?” But in the end the win went to Clayton. “He faded, and Clayton won the match.”