“Littler has already said that he simply thinks Germany is a terrible country” — Van der Voort sees worrying trend in the PDC due to numerous withdrawals

Luke Littler and Wessel Nijman are the two standout performers of the first seven months of the PDC season, according to Vincent van der Voort. Yet the former professional also sees a trend he’s far less keen on. The wave of withdrawals by top players, especially on the Euro Tour, is becoming a serious issue for the PDC in his view.

In the podcast Darts Draait Door, Van der Voort looked back on the opening stretch of the season. He didn’t need long to identify the player who stands head and shoulders above the rest.

"If you look at the whole picture, it's obviously Littler's year. Even though he hasn't played that much. And in his shadow, Nijman. Those are the two big names of the first half of the year."

Van der Voort believes Nijman has impressed particularly at the Players Championships and Euro Tours. Littler, meanwhile, is out on his own, despite the Englishman skipping a fair number of events on the calendar.

That point leads Van der Voort to another striking theme of the season. While PDC prize money has surged, several big names seem more selective with their schedules. That’s visible in the many Euro Tour withdrawals. Earlier this season, multiple top-ranked players skipped various events.

"It's also a little bit the year of the withdrawals. And that is happening at exactly the moment when the prize money is going through the roof. That's strange, isn't it?"

Van der Voort sees a particular problem when the biggest box-office names are missing. Littler is a clear example, he says. Many Euro Tours are staged in Germany, and that’s precisely where the world number one is rarely seen.

"Look, Littler has already said that he simply thinks Germany is a terrible country. But that is a problem, because that's where most of the European Tours are. And a few Pro Tours, of course. He doesn't usually come to those either. So you've already got your very best player who doesn't come very often."

It doesn’t stop there, according to Van der Voort. Luke Humphries also chose a spell with fewer Euro Tours during the season. "Then you've got Humphries. He wasn't feeling great during the Premier League. He said, 'I'm not doing any European Tours for the next three months.' So then you've got the number one and, at the time, the number two in the world."

Van der Voort stresses that withdrawals from Players Championships are less problematic. Those floor events are played without spectators. The Euro Tour is a different story, because thousands of fans buy tickets to see the big names on stage.

"If they withdraw from Players Championships, that's not such a problem. Those are the smallest tournaments, and they don't necessarily have to play them. But the European Tour still relies on the public expecting everyone to be there."

Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall also get a mention from Van der Voort as frequent absentees. "Then, of course, you've got Gerwyn Price. He's entered for everything, but he never comes. Then you've got someone like Aspinall, a crowd-puller. He hardly comes anymore either. As an organiser, you've got a problem there."

Gary Anderson has also opted for a limited schedule for years. Van der Voort is barely surprised by that anymore. "He's been doing it for ten years, I think, in my view. And he's still always in the world's top 16. That remains pretty impressive."

Van der Voort believes a tricky situation is emerging for Euro Tour organisers. Events held during the congested first part of the season seem more likely to miss multiple stars.

"Ultimately, as an organiser, you want to have the best players. Now you're getting to the point where you think: if my European Tour is in the first half of the year, I'm screwed. After the Premier League, I have a chance that good players will come. That's obviously a bad development as well."

The late slot on the calendar could work in favour of the Dutch Euro Tour event. If the battle for key ranking spots is still hot, Van der Voort expects big names to be less inclined to skip. "You basically have to hope that from number 28 through to 34 or 35, everyone still has a chance. That, for example, Anderson really still has to play. Those kinds of players. So that you see it changing from day to day."