LOOKING BACK | Brawls, flying tables and chairs: Police forced to intervene as fans riot during Michael van Gerwen match Down Under

The Australian Darts Masters and New Zealand Darts Masters have drawn to a close, with Luke Littler claiming victory at both events — bringing a highly successful end to the 2025 darts tour of Oceania. However, things haven’t always gone so smoothly Down Under. A decade ago, a match involving Michael van Gerwen descended into complete chaos.

The incident took place during the 2015 Darts Invitational Challenge, when ‘Mighty Mike’ faced local favourite Simon Whitlock in the final at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium. The clash between the then-world number one and the homegrown hero was abruptly halted after violence erupted in the stands, with fans brawling, chairs flying across the venue, and tables being destroyed. Police were called in, but not before significant damage had been done.

According to eyewitnesses, the chaos began when a group of fans started stacking chairs into a pyramid. Security personnel quickly lost control of the situation, prompting the deployment of riot police. The match was suspended for a considerable period before eventually resuming.

One witness, Andrew Portbury, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “There were entire rows basically demolished, chairs being put on piles and tables started getting involved. People were diving on top of the tables and it just became this huge mess very, very quickly.”

Another attendee told The Age newspaper: “It was an absolute mess — drunken idiots that were getting bored and looking for a bit of excitement. It was like a proper riot mentality. The security guards couldn't get a handle on it, it was a real uphill battle for them.”

On Van Gerwen’s reaction, they added: “The look on his face after he won — it was a look not of victory, but one of pure disgust.”

Speaking to The Age, stadium communications manager Bill Lane confirmed that forty fans had been ejected, with three receiving treatment for minor injuries. Lane also revealed that the shocking scenes cast doubt at the time over whether Melbourne would be trusted to host future major darts tournaments.

“The night started really well but unfortunately a small minority did behave poorly,” he said. “There will be a major debrief and we are talking with police and our own security contractor. We won’t shy away from what happened and invariably we learn something from every event.”

Despite the turmoil, Van Gerwen went on to claim victory. After trailing 5–1 and later 8–4, the Dutchman staged an impressive comeback to win the final 9–8—though the triumph was clearly overshadowed by the night’s ugly scenes.