"Too many players act like fanboys" - Luke Littler's rivals slammed by Van der Voort

Vincent van der Voort has never been one to sugar-coat things. The former top Dutch darter, who spent years competing at the very highest level, spoke candidly about the current state of the sport during an exhibition night in Stevenage. With his trademark mix of blunt honesty and sharp insight, “The Dutch Destroyer” reflected on Luke Littler’s dominance, Michael van Gerwen’s struggles, and where darts stands today.

“The standard is incredibly high right now,” Van der Voort told Online Darts. “The sport’s in a good place overall, but there are still things that could definitely be improved.”

Gerwyn Price recently claimed that many players are scared of Luke Littler. Van der Voort doesn’t entirely agree. “Not everyone’s scared of him, but plenty are. I said it after the Worlds – too many top players act like fanboys instead of opponents. Of course it’s tough; Littler’s so good. But you have to tell yourself: yes, he’s brilliant, but I’m going to do everything I can to beat him. Don’t keep sticking feathers in his backside.”

The Dutchman sees a familiar pattern repeating. “It happened before with Phil Taylor, and later with Michael van Gerwen. That’s what happens when you get a dominant player. But others still need to go out there and give everything they’ve got. Price should’ve beaten him at the Grand Prix but didn’t, and that only makes it harder the next time. Someone has to stop him eventually.”

For the sport’s sake, Van der Voort says, Littler losing once in a while wouldn’t hurt. “It’s impressive how often he wins, but darts is better when there’s competition. The rest of the players need to get inside his head a bit, unsettle him, do something different. Otherwise, he’s just going to run away with everything.”

Van der Voort draws parallels between Littler’s current dominance and the peak years of Van Gerwen. “As long as you keep winning, confidence takes care of itself. I saw that with Michael first-hand. His belief was so high he didn’t even think about opponents. Every game was just another chance to beat someone. Littler’s in that phase now. Eventually he’ll hit some setbacks – then we’ll see how mentally strong he really is. But right now, you have to play unbelievably well to beat him.”

The conversation inevitably turns to Van Gerwen himself, who’s endured a turbulent couple of years. “A lot of players are struggling at the moment, but Michael’s definitely one of them,” Van der Voort said. “If you look purely at the ranking tournaments this year, his form puts him somewhere around 25th to 30th in the world. That’s worrying. His throw isn’t the issue – it’s his hunger to win. That’s gone a bit. He needs that mentality back, or he’s in trouble.”

Van Gerwen’s problems, he believes, go beyond the oche. “He’s had a tough time personally. A divorce takes a huge toll. Maybe he came back too soon, and now he’s hit another mental setback. He needs to take his time, clear his head. But when he returns, he has to live and breathe darts again – train hard, commit fully, or the younger players will pass him by. You can’t be world number one without giving it everything.”

Right now, Van Gerwen isn’t even watching much darts, Van der Voort says – a bad sign. “That tells you enough. He’s got to find the joy again. We spoke recently, and I asked him, ‘Do you still enjoy this? Do you still want to compete with the best?’ I told him not to answer straight away – think about it for a week or two. Because if you don’t really want it, you won’t get back to the top.”

Even so, Van der Voort hasn’t given up hope. “The talent’s still there. Look at the World Series Finals – he averaged 102 across the tournament. That proves it’s not gone. But sport doesn’t wait. You stand still, and others catch you up. He’s got to rediscover that fire to destroy everyone in his way.”

From next year, the PDC World Champion will earn a record £1 million. Van der Voort has mixed feelings. “It’s great that players can earn that kind of money – darts deserves it. But the ranking system isn’t fair. The Worlds are weighted far too heavily. If you win it, you can basically take the rest of the year off. That’s not healthy for the sport. You end up with a Ronnie O’Sullivan situation where someone thinks they’re bigger than the game.”

His solution is straightforward. “Move to a points-based system. You can still pay the same prize money, but players would need to perform all year round. And the lower rounds should get more. The foundation of the sport is the wider field – and that has to stay strong.”

The World Series will head to Saudi Arabia next year, while the Dutch event drops off the calendar. Van der Voort isn’t shocked. “You could see it coming. The Hearns are heavily involved out there. You can argue about human rights all day, but every sport is going there. If there’s blame, it’s on the organisers, not the players. If you’re offered good money to play, you play. That’s just reality.”

He also had thoughts on the Hearns’ recent documentary. “A classic Hearn production. Father and son are exactly the same – both love the camera and themselves. That painting of them they kept showing... I’d be mortified, but they showed it off about ten times. Says it all, really.”

Van der Voort has also been outspoken about comments from certain British players unhappy about Pro Tours being staged in mainland Europe. “I heard Johnny Clayton say he doesn’t think Pro Tours should be played in Germany. That’s a ridiculous thing to say. Johnny’s one of the nicest blokes around, but he’s wrong there. We should have maybe ten Pro Tours in England and the rest spread across Europe. Even expand into Asia. There’s loads of talent out there who can’t afford to travel because everything’s in the UK. Saying everything should stay in England is just short-sighted.”

The European Tour will continue to grow in 2026 with events in Poland and Slovakia, which Van der Voort sees as a positive step. “Why not go to Ireland or Scotland again? Those fans love darts and deserve big events. Spain, Italy, Iceland even – brilliant destinations. Early on, there were too many in Germany, but that was necessary to build the system. Now it’s established, we should spread it further.”

Van der Voort also had high praise for the women’s game – particularly Beau Greaves. “She’s the best female player I’ve ever seen. She hits 100-plus averages for fun. Look at the UK Open – before losing to Humphries, she won three matches 6–2, 6–1, 6–2. That’s insane. If Gian van Veen meets her in the World Youth Final, he’ll know he’s in for a battle.”

Van Veen himself, Van der Voort says, could earn a Premier League spot one day – but not yet. “He’s got the potential, but he needs big-stage results. He was unlucky against Littler, sure, but it’s still a first-round exit. The Matchplay quarter-final was good, but he needs a few more deep runs to be properly in contention.”

Finally, Van der Voort believes it’s time for the Premier League format to change. “We hear it in our dart shop all the time – people get bored after a few weeks. I understand why the PDC does it: every venue wants a winner each night, and that makes commercial sense. But for viewers, it gets repetitive. Matches like Littler versus Humphries should feel special. If you see them ten times a season, it loses that spark. Big clashes should feel like events again – that’s when people really look forward to them.”