"What you don't do is tell them, this is not good, I won't be coming back" – Barry Hearn advises Luke Littler after hostile crowd trouble
PDC
Luke Littler faced heavy boos at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The young Englishman made it clear he would not accept that and even hinted he might skip the Netherlands in future. Barry Hearn understands it is not easy for Littler, but also believes the 19-year-old world champion must learn to handle the downside of his huge popularity.
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Speaking to talkSPORT, Hearn discussed the events in the Netherlands at length. According to the former PDC chairman, crowd behaviour is partly inseparable from the explosive growth darts has enjoyed over recent decades.
"He's got to overcome that and he will overcome it. People like Peter Manley got booed from the toilet, you know, and they get used to it," he said.
Hearn cited Gerwyn Price as an example. The Welshman was for years perhaps the most booed player in the sport. In his early seasons at the very top, Price could barely throw an arrow in some venues without whistles or boos. According to Hearn, that relationship has changed markedly.
"And Gerwyn Price got a huge amount of skin, look at him now. He's Mr. Popular now and the way to cure boos is like a bully on the street. You smile at them, you let them know you've not upset them."
Hearn drew a comparison with football. There too, he said, it is unthinkable that away supporters would remain completely silent at key moments. "You know, let's go back to your chosen sport, football, you know, you can't say the away fans are that polite, you know, when the other guy's taking the penalty, you may hear just one or two boos or whistles or whatever."
“In a way it’s a compliment to where darts is now”
Hearn sees the booing partly as a by-product of darts’ evolution. The sport sells out arenas and fan engagement is higher than ever. That generates superb atmospheres, but sometimes also nights where players come under real fire.
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"This is a compliment in a way to where darts has gone. It's a major sellout, huge atmosphere sport and people will get involved."
That does not mean, Hearn added, that the PDC accepts everything. The organisation works to make fans aware of their behaviour and deploys significant security at events.
"We hope we try to educate. We have obviously massive amounts of security in the buildings at all times, but we can't stop. You know, the worst thing you can say to someone who's, you know, it's like a red badge or no booing, you just try and educate them by example and in the end, fair sports fans win the day."
For Littler, the situation is more complex because of his status. Since his rapid breakthrough, the Englishman has been one of darts’ biggest box-office draws. That makes him an obvious target for fans trying to knock him out of his rhythm. “Luke Littler is a target because, as I said to him the other day, he's just so bloody good."
Hearn pointed to an example from another sport. Steve Davis dominated snooker for years and, despite his calm personality, also drew negative reactions from the crowd. "You know, I mean, Steve Davis, you couldn't ask for a nicer guy in the world than Steve Davis. He used to get booed into the arenas by snooker fans and these are older people because he was winning everything."
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Littler lost 2-1 to Luke Woodhouse in the first round of the World Grand Prix last Monday.
“He’s nineteen years old, that’s hard”
Hearn stressed that Littler’s age should not be overlooked. Although the Englishman has already gained plenty of stage time and lifted major titles, he is still only nineteen. "I mean, he's had a couple of hiccups and he's young as well. It's difficult for him to take on board. He's got a good team around him. He's got great parents around him. The PDC will do everything that we can. It is difficult.
Even so, Hearn said, Littler will ultimately have to find his own way to deal with hostile arenas. "You know, he's 19 years old. He's getting booed, especially when he plays a local player. But you know what? Nah, he's got to overcome that."
Hearn then directly addressed Littler’s earlier suggestion that he might skip events where he receives a hostile reception.
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"What you don't do is tell them, this is not good, I won't be coming back. Because inevitably, when you do come back, you're going to pay the price. So you bear off just a smile and eventually it dies down, like it has with Gerwyn Price, who's now one of the world's most popular players."
His message to the young Englishman is not to be dragged down by negative reactions from the stands. According to Hearn, they now come with the exceptional position Littler has earned in darts.
"So don't worry. Luke, you know, my message to Luke is, listen, you're doing great. You're earning a lot of money. You put your money away for your family or whatever you're going to do. Smile through adversity."
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In Hearn’s view, that is the best way to handle pressure, criticism and booing. Littler cannot control the crowd, but he can control how he responds. And if Hearn has his way, he will do so with a smile.
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- I believe he has it in him to qualify for the Worlds as he consistently wins matches, even if it is only one or two at a time, although his recent PC quarter-final run was somewhat encouraging in that regard. I think there is a lot of pressure for him to retire, people in the media accusing him of tarnishing his legacy. I think that is a ridiculous line of thinking. How ungrateful it is to attach terms and conditions to the amazing moments he has provided us over the course of his career. What position are we in to dictate to him how he should manage his career when it is he who achieved those successes in the first place? What's more, this is his life and the passion that sustains it, it is not for us to decide when his career is over when it is he who must bear the genuine ramifications of that decision. Since I'm sure money is not a concern, the only question on which the decision should rest is whether he truly continues to enjoy competing. He has retired once before, but the desire to compete is what brought him back. We see a lot of negative body language and he does genuinely look miserable when he is not playing well, but only he will know when he wakes up the next day whether he wants to go and do it all over again. If he wants to compete, he should, it's as simple as that, this is a decision that should not involve anyone else but him and his family. He should not retire to indulge the whims of the media or the public. What satisfaction would he receive by being forced into retirement? What closure would it bring to such a brilliant career? When Phil Taylor decided to retire, his decision was final and resolute. I believe RvB needs to get to this point himself, no matter how many 70 averages it might take. We see the likes of John Part continue to compete on a regular basis well past his prime, I say more power to him, and who knows, further glory could be around the corner, it's darts after all, you just never know. Sometimes I worry that RvB is acutely aware of the clamour for him to retire and that this pressure may even have an impact on his performances as he begins to question whether there is even a place for him in darts anymore, further compounding his poor form and creating a vicious loop. Perhaps to take his future into his own hands would provide him with a levity and freedom that would lend itself to better performances, not to mention an improved wellbeing. In any case, it is under these conditions that one can clear-headedly and definitively settle an issue so profound as retirement, not when you feel you're being rushed out the door. If his performances can no longer sustain his presence on the tour, so be it; as it stands his card seems safe for this year but is in serious jeopardy next year. He could always allow himself to drop off the tour naturally rather than forfeiting his place in the top 64, this could provide a sense of finality while offering a route back through Q-School if he so desired; after all, he's done it before. In conclusion, I just hope that RvB can play - or not play - for his own sake, rather than anyone else's, so that when the time comes he can be in no doubt as to his decision, leaving no lingering questions, so that he can reflect with no regret or uncertainty on the marvelous career he has had.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Luke Littler has been good for the sport of darts, no question. But he is not above it. For his sake and ours, he needs to be put in his place sometimes, rather than having his every whim catered to. That is not how you build a good person nor a good sporting organisation, and it's beginning to have consequences.Deduce635826-09-2026
- Extremely disappointing decision. It used to be that, along with major events and Euro Tours, the Players Championship series constituted one of three standards against which successful darts players could be measured, one of three challenges every successful darts player should be expected to master to consider themself among the elite. Now they are dead weight in the darting calendar, and player turnout and the standard of competitiveness will reflect that. The truth is that Luke Littler and other big names would rather play lucrative exhibitions than put in the hard graft that being a successful dart player requires. It undermines the authority of the PDC and the game in general. So what do they do about it? Give them exactly what they want. Of course, why wouldn't they? They are their star attractions. It is ironic that an organisation formed in protest by the sport's elite should be undermined and disrespected by their contemporary equivalents, but the PDC had a chance to stand up to them with a firm message: play 2 events all year and expect the final to be played without you. Instead, they caved in. These events will be hardly worth playing anymore and this decision may have grave consequences for the future of floor events at the elite level. Some may say the calendar is overstuffed, yet these elite players have more than enough time to play plenty of exhibitions. The Premier League in particular is gruelling, but busy players are not expected to play every event, they are expected to manage their playing schedule carefully in order to apportion their time and energy appropriately. Clayton and Humphries, for instance, both sit in the top 20 of the Players Championship and European orders of merit, in addition to competing in the Premier League; they have proven it is absolutely possible and this change is an insult to their efforts in effectively managing their calendars. I think we are seeing players who simply think they are too good for Pro Tour events, arrogance which should be punished rather than rewarded as we are seeing here. Furthermore, why should success in Euro Tours qualify you for the Players Championship Final? The PDC are blurring the lines between those three disciplines of darting excellence, and in so doing destabilising the very foundations upon which the organisation and its success is built. Some may say I'm overreacting, but this, in addition to the PDC's subservience and snivelling obsequiousness toward their biggest assets, makes me fear for the future of professional darts.Deduce635826-09-2026
- I guess this will mean the top players will turn up even less? Taken all the excitement of qualifying away I think. Wish they made it top 32 to qualify and the finals to last all week.Baphomet26-09-2026
- Great article - but not written by this site. It's taken wholesale from last Sunday's Observer with this interview published online on Saturday.Scoobedybop22-09-2026
- Such sad and pathetic little losers giving abuse to young woman for any reason, let alone who she is in a relationship with. Go Beau! An absolute star and comes across as a genuinely nice and kind person. Wish her nothing but the best.BandB22-09-2026
- I wouldn't mind if he quit now to be honest. He's not bigger than darts. Let's face it without darts he'd just be a normal fat gamer kid.medinabello22-09-2026
- You know,I said this,in a sentence,not 5 paragraphs!!rick6721-09-2026
- Oh dear,he lost. Well any competitive sport runs the risk of defeat. He is, currently,his own worst enemy. Wind the crowd up,and you get it back bigger. Put your dummy in kidrick6721-09-2026
- Does an exhibition count in the clean sweep though?BandB21-09-2026
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