"If you can't serve the demand, the demand goes somewhere else": Barry Hearn teases potential future away from Ally Pally for PDC World Darts Championship

In more than half a century of sports promotion, Barry Hearn has seen a lot, but nothing - really nothing - he says comes close to what is happening with darts. The Matchroom president and architect of the modern PDC era sat down with talkSPORT and talked about how the sport is breaking every imaginable boundary.

Hearn does not have to think long when asked if he has ever experienced such explosive growth before. "In 51 years of promoting sport, I've never seen anything like this. And I'm not just talking about the United Kingdom - darts is growing worldwide," he says.

According to Hearn, darts' success almost makes sense if you understand how sports work. It's about accessibility. "Just like football is great because all you need is a ball, for darts you need a board and three darts. No club dues, no expensive facilities. Hang it up in your bedroom and you can start."

That approachability creates new recruits worldwide. Sometimes from corners that even Hearn doesn't see coming. "There's a new kid from Mongolia now, 14 or 15 years old, absolutely sensational," he says visibly enthusiastic. "We are all impressed with Luke Littler, but believe me: there are more to come."

Those who think darts is only popular in Europe and the United Kingdom get an instant reality check from Hearn. "We have Premier League Darts in China, for the Chinese. We just finished Premier League Darts Australia," Hearn says, and in countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand, he sees an explosion of dart courts and local leagues. The popularity is so great that Matchroom is now fully committed to the next step: a massive breakthrough in the United States.

"Next year we are launching something big in the USA. Darts and pool. A new office in New York. Time to show Americans how to really promote sports," it sounds with a wink, but above all with serious ambition.

With global growth also comes a sporting effect. Competition has become cutthroat. Hearn cites an example that many darts fans will recognise: "Eric Bristow won the World Championship, what will it be, 106 years ago?" he jokes. "His average was somewhere high in the 80s. Today? If you don't throw 110, you have zero chance."

And it goes even further. "I see 10-year-olds throwing 100+ average. 11- and 12-year-olds throwing nine-starters. Of course they are still fully developed, but what a level to start with! And they know they can make a living at it."

According to Hearn, that is exactly what makes the sport so special: its egalitarian nature. "Darts is a completely level playing field. It doesn't matter who your father is, how much money you have. All that matters is your average and whether you can throw."

Finally, the conversation turns to the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace - the annual darts festival that draws massive crowds. Hearn is pleased, but also sees a clear problem: The stretch is out. "I sold 125,000 tickets in 10 minutes. The demand is almost comparable to Glastonbury. That says it all," he says.

But that success also creates challenges: "I don't want people to say they spent five years trying to get tickets and never got in. If you can't serve the demand, the demand goes somewhere else."

Therefore, the PDC is exploring alternatives within the same complex. "There is a bigger venue at Ally Pally. We might go there. Then you're talking about thousands of extra seats per day." The charm of the World Championship must be preserved, Hearn emphasises, but he also knows that the days of thinking small are over. "We have to move with the public. The sport is growing ... and we are growing with it."