“That’s three tournaments in three months, that’s not a lot“ – Rumours surrounding Luke Littler’s schedule raise eyebrows
PDCTuesday, 22 September 2026 at 08:00
The World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam ended in disappointment for Luke Littler. The Englishman was beaten 10-4 in the quarter-finals by Jonny Clayton, halting his pursuit of a remarkable run of major titles. In the Darts Draait Door podcast, Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort discussed not only his defeat, but also Littler’s difficult relationship with the Dutch crowd.
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Littler had already received plenty of stick from the stands earlier in the tournament. During his match against Clayton that seemed slightly less intense, according to Van der Voort. Still, he felt the events of previous days were weighing on the world champion.
“The booing wasn’t as bad as on the previous days,” observed Van der Voort. “But he’d had enough. I had the feeling it spilled over from Friday and Saturday rather than today itself. Of course that’s frustrating for him.”
Little worked for him on the oche either. The Englishman tried to make adjustments during the match, but found no way to put Clayton under sustained pressure. “He tried everything. But nothing clicked for Littler. Then you end up getting turned over 10-4.”
Debate over Littler’s behaviour
That also ended Littler’s chance to complete a clean sweep. The podcast debate then shifted to his behaviour towards the crowd. Littler responded several times over the weekend to the noise from the stands, including by cupping his ear.
Vlottes suggested some people feel Littler only fuels the reactions by doing so. Van der Voort sees it differently. “That’s action-reaction, isn’t it? He’s not the one starting it, is he? Otherwise you wouldn’t need to do that. I get it. He walks on and he’s not waving the crowd off.”
At the same time, the former pro acknowledges that a two-time world champion should show a certain level of professionalism. “Of course it’s not smart,” said Van der Voort. “I’m not saying it’s all the crowd’s fault either.”
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Littler was met with whistles and boos from the crowd throughout the weekend in Amsterdam.
Van der Voort mainly warns that persistent booing of Littler could ultimately affect tournaments in the Netherlands. “It’s a bit of copycat behaviour that people start booing him. If he now says: ‘Well, okay, I just won’t come here next year,’ and two more say the same, then you’re done here, aren’t you?”
“The PDC won’t say: ‘We’ll go to Amsterdam again.’ You’ll simply lose a tournament. It’s not that you should let yourself be blackmailed by that, that would be odd. But you don’t have to support him, and you also don’t need to be so vehemently against someone.”
Van der Voort drew a comparison with Gerwyn Price, who for years regularly faced hostile reactions from crowds. “Price had it for years too. When you’re in form, you don’t hear it and everything’s fine. The moment you’re not in such good form, it gets to you. He also struggled for a while and even thought about stopping.”
“Clayton isn’t afraid to win”
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Van der Voort did not want to pin Littler’s defeat solely on the circumstances. Clayton, he said, also deserved full credit. “We shouldn’t overlook Clayton. It showed, because he stood up like a proper pro and finished the job. Clayton is someone who isn’t afraid to win.”
On top of that, Littler never hit his best level in Amsterdam. “Littler didn’t throw what he can all tournament. Nowhere near his peak. At the Matchplay we only talked about how great it was, with a tournament average of 111, and all that. Now I don’t think he’s gone over a hundred this tournament.”
According to Van der Voort, it will be interesting to see what choices Littler makes in the coming months. The podcast discussed rumours that the Englishman will skip ProTours and Euro Tours for the time being and focus on the big TV events.
“If you look at his schedule now: the rumours are he won’t play ProTour and won’t play Euro Tour. So he’ll only play the Grand Prix, the European Championship and the Grand Slam before the Worlds. That’s three tournaments in three months. That’s not a lot.”
The European Championship would be high on Littler’s wish list, based on what Van der Voort has heard. “Apparently, from what I hear, it’s about that European Championship. That’s the only one he’s still missing. That’s the main target this autumn. And then of course the Worlds.”
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Van der Voort did add an important caveat. “These are the rumours here. Maybe it’s not like that at all.” Still, he hopes Littler keeps enough motivation for all the major events to come. “Let’s hope he can at least find the drive to attack those tournaments full throttle.”
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
- Played great in the final. Makes a mockery of the event when he qualified by losing all of his tour matchesBandB21-09-2026
- He isn't,and won't be the last player to get whistled or booed at. The problem I noticed,is that he winds them up,and give him back,and he doesn't like it. If you can't take it,don't give itrick6720-09-2026
- I hope Phil doesn't return. Watching him the seniors was embarrassing,and he should bow out,and let everyone remember what a legend he is.rick6716-09-2026
- What a nice comment by Wade. Top bloke.BandB15-09-2026
- He wasn't "offered £501,000 to face Luke Littler". He was allowed to audition for the chance. That's not the same. Literally like saying I was offered a no.1 single, when actually I decided not to attend an open casting for the X factor.BandB13-09-2026
- I loved Jan and loved his walk on music "Explode" by Jordan & Baker. I think if he stuck around the BDO he definitely would have been World Champion, should have won in 2014, he never really showed any of his talent in the PDC. I remembered he worked in a bank or in finance and maybe that was his priority, he was also a fan and interested in magic. Definitely should have achieved much more in darts than he did. Wherever you are nowadays Jan, hope all is well and I was always a fan.richieburnettrocks11-09-2026
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