PDC stars Rob Cross and Ryan Joyce gave schoolchildren in Leicester the day of their lives on Thursday by assisting with the kids' math lessons. The visit was part of the PDC's Bullseye Maths program, through which the organisation engages top players in social causes.
The World Grand Prix's annual visit to Leicester gave 100 local youngsters the chance to experience Bullseye Maths, the math program introduced in 2022. Groups Community's Project 15 homework club and Young Carers program both got the chance to sample a special Bullseye Maths session at the King Power Stadium, where local football club Leicester City plays.
They were joined by former world champion Rob Cross and Leicester City players Missy Goodwin and Sari Kees - who took part in a series of number-based challenges to boost numeracy skills. "Bullseye Maths is a fantastic scheme and I enjoy it," said Cross. "It's nice to see the kids' faces and if you can get them involved with maths it's great."
"I started playing darts quite late in life and the maths is second nature to me now - I'm probably a bit like a human calculator - but for the kids in these sessions they're learning maths while enjoying themselves," Voltage continues. "Darts is really growing now and the interest in the sport has gone up and up this year, and one day it could be these kids who are following in the footsteps of players like Luke Littler."
Earlier on Thursday, Ryan Joyce and a class from Martinshaw Primary School participated in a Bullseye math session at Mattioli Arena, home of the World Grand Prix. The visit for the Martinshaw Primary School students included a number of math-based games and they also stood on the World Grand Prix stage.
On Friday night, Cross and Joyce face each other in the quarterfinals of the World Grand Prix. The two Englishmen never before managed to reach the last eight at the double-in double-out tournament in Leicester.