"These kids now think they're going to go and do what Luke Littler did" - Steve West urges darts' next generation to have patience

When Luke Littler burst onto the scene at the 2024 World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace in London, interest in the sport of darts was ignited like rarely seen before.

The full effect of Littler's emergence and the impact the teenage sensation has had in inspiring the next generation of the darting superstars might not be properly clear for a few years yet, but one of the senior figures on the darting circuit, recent Modus Super Series weekly title winner, Steve West has urged the kids coming through to have patience. After all, not everyone is going to have such an incredibly fast start to their professional career as Littler did last December.

"Just think about your options for a couple of years. If you're young enough, it'll come," stresses West, who first made a World Championship appearance back in 2008 and as mentioned, was still winning titles last week, in conversation with Online Darts. "Thomas Banks is a great example of that because the kid is on fire. But he doesn't have to get it all in a year like Luke Littler did."

"Luke Littler is a different breed. That's irrelevant. But these kids now think they're going to go and do what Luke did and that ain't going to happen," West continues, stressing the fact that there is more to the sport of darts than purely getting a PDC Tour Card, something the aforementioned Banks is yet to achieve. "Thomas is doing what he's doing now, winning these ADC events, picking up £1000 here and a £1000 there, he's getting into the PDC Youth Worlds and all that."

"Go and win all that first and enjoy your time," West concludes with a piece of advice for the next generation. "Then, when the time is right for you, and you'll feel it, go and do what you've got to do."