"There is less and less time left for my family" - Raymond van Barneveld struggles with busy darts calendar

Raymond van Barneveld, at 57, is now one of the leading veterans on the PDC Pro Tour. The Dutchman would like to compete in the darts world for a few more years but finds that it is becoming increasingly difficult due to the increasingly busy calendar.

After a 3-1 defeat in the first round of the 2020 Darts World Championship, Van Barneveld decided to end his career. Barely nine months later, however, he made clear his intention to return to the Pro Tour. Van Barneveld put his money where his mouth was and recaptured his PDC Tour Card in early 2021. Since then, he has won several floor tournaments and is once again in the top 32 of the world rankings. "But I have to honestly say it's all getting more and more intense," Van Barneveld said to the podcast'Darts Draait Door'.

Van Barneveld points to the busy calendar, which will include another tournament next year. "That leaves little time to just do things with the family, the kids, grandkids and wife. That's a tricky little thing, though. The kids and grandkids have birthdays, you're stuck with Christmas and New Year's, Easter. Dad and grandpa is basically always gone. How far do you have to go in and with that?", 'Barney' wonders.

What certainly also plays into his doubts about continuing for a few more years is the fact that Van Barneveld is regularly eliminated quickly at tournaments. "Of course it's terrible when you go to a tournament and you have to sit out after just one round."

"You're not there for a birthday then. Or even worse: a funeral. Maybe of people you've known all your life, for example. Next year we will have 34 Pro Tours and a Euro Tour added. If I also continue to qualify for the majors, there will be less and less time left."