"That’s where the best players in Asia are" - Russ Bray picks out his ideal location for World Series of Darts to next venture

Russ Bray believes that the Philippines were most deserving of a World Series of Darts event, stating that they have the best players in the world outside of Europe.

Bray was at the 2026 Unicorn Launch among many stars gazing among the new and fantastic creations and inventions the sport has produced, in utter disbelief with how far the game has gone.

"They’ve come a long way in a long space of time," Bray said in an interview with Online Darts. "I mean, I’ve been with Unicorn, I don’t know, some 20 years now, and when I look at the launch and what we’ve got now compared to when I first got involved — upwards and onwards, massively."

Since retiring from full-time refereeing after the 2024 World Championships, Bray has used his voice to good use outside of Europe. He has enjoyed experiences on the Asian Tour, with him now being locatedin Australia as he calls the first four events in the ANZ Premier League, using that iconic voice to good use.

"Absolutely fantastic. I’m off to the Philippines tomorrow. I’ve got a couple of bits and pieces to do out there, and then I go straight from there to Australia for the first four weeks of their Premier League," Bray said. "I’m not back home until about the 27th of October — so four or five weeks — but lovely."

Along with this, he has continued working on the World Series, which he has also loved doing. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. The ones I did — Bahrain, New York, and obviously Australia — were out of this world. I absolutely loved it. It’s nice for me, having stepped down from all the majors, to still be involved a little bit on the stage with the boys."

When asked where the next World Series event should be, he said: "Oh, goodness me — the Philippines. Definitely. If they can get out to the Philippines, that’s where the best players in Asia are. There are three in the top five and five in the top ten. That’s the place to go. They’ll get the players for sure, and the interest and the crowd will be amazing. We’ve been to Japan and China early doors, but I think the Philippines is the one to try. I honestly believe that would work.

"Every kid there — especially in the soft-tip scene — you see them coming through. The main protagonists aren’t that old; Lawrence Ilagan’s one of the older statesmen, but when it starts with players like Paolo Nebrida and Alexis Toylo, those types of guys are the younger ones coming through. They can do a lot of damage, and yes, there’s definitely a Luke Littler out there somewhere."

Whistling and jeering has become a major issue, consistently brought up when speaking about crowds. Many players on stage get affected by it, using the noises from the audience as a scapegoat for not pinning their chosen double. Bray has worked in these situations many times before, with him coming up with an idea which could cut it down in the future.

"Personally, I think if venues had proper security briefings, and there were signs everywhere saying, 'If you whistle, you’ll be thrown out,' that would help," Bray said. "Simple as that. It’s also down to the crowd — if someone next to me was whistling every five minutes, I’d be saying, 'Come on, mate, give it a rest.' The crowd’s got to be responsible too. Why not put some plainclothes security among them? Point them out and throw them out — because honestly, they’re ruining the game. You want to see players at their very best, and one or two idiots can spoil it for everyone. Ninety percent of the crowd are lovely — it’s just those few."

With all the talk recently coming about the changing of the guard on the oche, not many have paid attention to the older referees hanging up their microphone. George Noble will soon call his last 180 on the main stage having announced his retirement after the 2026 World Championships.

"The first real change within the PDC came with me. Bruce Spindley, Freddie Williams — the older, experienced guard that had been there since day one — then a younger buck like me came in," he said. "Times change. It’s a young man’s sport now, as proven by the lads on stage. Sure, you’ve got your older guys like Gary Anderson and Peter Wright, but mainly it’s the younger boys now. I’ve done my time, and it’s right that the next generation steps up. I’m not getting any younger myself — these guys are sharp, they sound good, they look good. It’s a new era, and it’s very welcome."

He also had some kind words to say about Noble, calling him the best referee in the world. "Absolutely. You want to go out at the top — not when people are wanting you out or telling you to go. I decided in 2022 that I wanted to leave, and the PDC asked me to stay an extra year, which was nice. George going out like he is, at the very top — that’s the best way. To me, George is without doubt the best referee in the world. No two ways about it. His voice is fantastic, he sounds great, and he’s part of the furniture."

When asked who will replace him, he said: "Honestly, I don’t know. It’ll certainly be a youngster, I’d imagine. I know people are applying — some want it, some don’t. But it’s a whole different ball game standing up on that World Championship stage. Calling on a county stage or a smaller event is completely different. Calling on stage two at Butlin’s is miles apart from the main stage at Ally Pally. It’s about whether you can handle that — control the crowd, manage an incident, react under pressure. There’s a lot that goes into it. Good luck to whoever follows George — that’s one hell of a pair of shoes to fill."