"Maybe it was also not a good idea for me to spray it" - Jurjen Van der Velde recalls moments behind the scenes following Ally Pally wasp incident

Jurjen Van der Velde experienced the PDC World Darts Championship for the very first time back in December 2025. He would exit at the first hurdle but the experience was poignant and memorable one, even if he did get in a spot of bother following him taking matters in his own hands with the Ally Pally wasp continuing to annoy the players on stage.

The Ally Pally wasp is synonymous with the PDC World Darts Championship, regularly popping up in random places. Van der Velde had his way of dealing with it, spraying some wasp spray on the stage ahead of making his debut in a 3-1 defeat to fellow countryman Danny Noppert.

While it received a comical reaction, not everyone was impressed as he ended up getting a warning for it during the match. "After the first set, everyone has their own chair and a little room to get a bit of rest during the five-minute break," he told Oche 180. "Graham was knocking on my door and told me some people are allergic to it.

"I thought, at the moment, I was full of adrenaline and things like that, so I thought, 'Okay, you said it in the first break, say it after the game, because it won't happen during the match anymore.' I thought maybe that was not his best idea, but maybe it was also not a good idea for me to spray it and just to show the bottle."

The world number 104 was not affected by any of this. "No, it was not affecting me a lot. I think it was just a warning not to do it again. It was also my debut, so I wanted to... Yeah, I played at that moment against an in-form Danny Noppert, of course, and he lives 30 minutes from my house, so we live close together. That was also strange, to play each other. But yeah, I also wanted to win this game, but it was not affecting me a lot, I think."

He could not escape the wasp in the match as it ended up landing on him. "There was still a wasp during that third set or something. It was on my shirt again. I'm not allergic to it, but yeah, it's still a strange thing that happens. But yeah, it's also funny to have something like that, especially only with a World Championship. The wasp is coming back, so yeah."

The 23-year-old Dutchman has joined the management company Invictus last year, led by Paul Stretford and Steve Mottershead, who previously worked with Phil Taylor. They are also with retired footballer Wayne Rooney and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld. It is an esteemed list of people to be with.

The move is motivated by Van der Velde wanting to improve in the sport as he looks to rise to that next level and consistently compete with the best. A former World Youth Championship runner-up, he is looking to convert that promising form into competing with the elite.

"Especially with Raymond, of course. He's a legend of the game, and with Steve, his experience in darts over all the years with Phil, of course, yeah, they can help me a lot by giving me tips and everything that helps me to become a better darts player. And yeah, it's a very good team."

While they are apart of the same management, Van der Velde does not expect any coaching by 'Barney' any time soon. "Not for now, I think. And yeah, Raymond is, of course, still on the ProTour for this year. And yeah, maybe in the future he's going to coach and help some other youth players in the team at Invictus, so yeah, maybe for the future."

There is a number of extremely talented darting talents coming from the Netherlands as they look to challenge the best players in the world. World No.2 Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman are the most notable ones with Kevin Doets and Danny Noppert also mentioned.

After years dominated by Michael van Gerwen and van Barneveld, it feels like the torch is being passed over to the next generation. Van der Velde will want to be in that group knocking on the door.

However, he concedes that Luke Littler is in a league of his own in this current period of time. "I think, yeah, of course. Luke is still a lot better than the rest at the moment, so yeah, maybe it will take some years to be at his level of darts for the Dutch players."

He does see this changing in the near future with Littler not set to always be on top. "But yeah, I think at that point Luke is winning everything, and maybe it's becoming boring for him as well. So he needs to find his motivation back maybe after a few years. And I think that, yeah, it's becoming better and better, the level, so yeah."