Noa-Lynn van Leuven 'scared to play' WDF events says Neil Duff, calls out 'bullying' and 'dangerous' transgender views from Home Nations

Former World Champion, Neil Duff has hit out at what he perceives is bullying when it comes to the treatment of transgender players in darts especially by the home nations including England Darts with a ban being implemented by the latter.

He also spoke in support of Noa-Lynn van Leuven and detailed how she has been scared to play in the WDF system due to the abuse she has received.

It has come to a head multiple times including at the Six Nations where Deta Hedman withdrew from the singles Six Nations event allowing Noa-Lynn van Leuven through to the Quarter-Finals. This after saying she would play due to no ranking points and the honour of representing her nation. She did play though in the teams against Van Leuven. This after she also forfeited against her at the Denmark Open in her own personal stand.

"Maybe as a unit they think that they're bigger than the WDF or any other organisation and can hold them to ransom whenever something doesn't go their way. I see a lot of it. I say it could do with a lot of new blood in it with new ideas to freshen it up. It's actually a worrying time.

"I've seen some things over the last few weeks and I know you've talked about it with the transgender issue. But even some of the comments on social media from officials who represent them competitions, work on them. Some of the language that they use doesn't sit well with me."

"It's going to cause an atmosphere. Anywhere you go probably it maxed out at the Six Nations two weeks ago. Everyone was kind of on the understanding that anyone that was playing under protest was still going to play. Everything changed, the whole atmosphere changed. To the point where we actually didn't sit in the venue to watch any of the darts. We went out and sat in the hotel lobby."

The issue of transgender players in darts all began when Van Leuven had PDC title success and Aileen de Graaf and Anca Ziljstra decided to withdraw from the Dutch team over Van Leuven playing. Duff said the timing was all wrong for them to do that knowing the consequences the next day at the Women's Series.

"I don't have a problem with anyone having an opinion or their views. It's the timing of these things. For me the big one was whenever the two girls pulled out of the Dutch national team. One was done on a Saturday night knowing that they had to go back into the venue the next day at the Women's Series and face this. Knowing full well it was going to explode all over social media. The timing was wrong and could've been kept until Monday. That's what provokes an opinion to bullying and there's been loads of bullying. It's been all over."

"As far as Deta is concerned, I love Deta to bits. She's been my pairs partner for the last four or five years. In her own right, I would support her and I respected her for how she went about it. With the Six Nations thing, it's hard to justify. But the time scale of announcements that was made one thing and another there I think she maybe went about it the wrong way. I think over the course of the last two months, it has fractured our relationship between England Darts and the Dutch Darts Federation. I don't think it will ever get back again.

"I can have my personal opinion but myself and not only Noa-Lynn, I'm a friend of Samantha Lewis. In my opinion they're not breaking any rules until the rules change. They're doing their thing and well within their rights to do so. They've got my full support."

Duff spoke heavily praising Noa-Lynn van Leuven as a person and said that people should think about it through the lens of their daughter or son if they transitioned and how their view point would flick like a switch.

He said that if she does make it to the PDC, it will be the best thing for her and that it will remove the vitriol she currently has in the WDF system where she is scared to play.

"I watched it in Denmark, not Deta but I watched it where it became a personal issue between two people. It didn't sit well with me. Whenever officials are using comments of bullying or blackmail, that's where it's crossing the line. This is from people who work for organisations. It shouldn't happen. Noa-Lynn's a very good friend of mine. I'll go and meet her this afternoon before she plays tonight.

"Lovely beautiful person and maybe if some people actually took her to one side and got to know Noa-Lynn. They might change their attitude. I'll deal with these things like it was one of my kids come home and tell me they're going to transition. I'm hoping that it does happen to some of these people that have had their views and then they have to rethink it when it becomes personal."

"I hope Noa-Lynn gets on. Good chance she gets her Tour Card and probably the best thing that'll happen to her is getting away from the WDF. The girl is actually scared to play, to go to events now. I sat with her in the reception in Galway two weeks ago and she's a shadow of herself. Anyone has to commend her because of the mental health she's had to suffer."

He also called the rhetoric that is underway with England Darts as 'dangerous'. A big example was Samantha Lewis, a transgender player who entered Ilfracombe but was denied entry by the organisation.

Duff called them out and he said that he has been shown emails which an organisation shouldn't be utilising with language that shouldn't be used.

"What happened in Galway, I said there was a huge propaganda statement that had been premeditated and was going to happen. Whether it was or wasn't I don't know. I think so much of Deta that I don't think that she would go down that route. But depends on any strings being pulled. It seems to be that England Darts have got this into their heads now and it's going to rumble on.

"I made a comment about the Samantha Lewis thing, she entered Ilfracombe was refused. I commented on something on Facebook. I asked Tommy Thompson (from England Darts) outright if a transgender person put their entries in will they be allowed to play. The reply was England Darts reserves the right to refuse admission. I said I've got a trans girl here who wants to play, if she enters will she be allowed to play. Same answer. It can't be doing the organisation any good."

"It's not only the way they've taken it, it's the choice of words. Dangerous words in my opinion. I've seen emails whenever they've called them so-called woman. From an organisation, that shouldn't even happen."

Now he believes it is up to the WDF to start the conversation as technically these tournaments play under their rules and WDF haven't changed theirs.

"If transgender are allowed to play under the rules the WDF set out, if the WDF grant ranking points to competitions based on certain rules and one of them is equality. They can't discriminate against one person way or another. In hindsight one organisation is breaking the other organisations rules. The WDF's next meeting is at Slovakia for the Europe Cup so it'll be interesting. It's something that the WDF have to look at and take into account."

Duff lost on his return to Lakeside as World Champion and while he believes the WDF should've made more of him being World Champion, he sees other issues of players not being given rewards for toiling on the circuit.

"The organiser may have made more of a big deal of it having the defending champion back so I was just another player. But I don't mind that. But then they've done it this year without a defending champion anyway. I think the WDF have to look after their top 16 seeds better than they are at the minute. With the Masters, give the top seeds the last 32 places. I think it would make sense.

"Guys that travel around and they pick up points for one competition a year. You had the World Trophy in the past. Give them something, reward them for being in that top 16 place. Bring the Masters on put them in at the Last 32."

But also he sees parts of the organisation being easily changeable and others on the up especially when it comes to Lakeside.

"That was the thing. Let the Lakeside give the WDF more control over ticket sales. Whenever the Lakeside were charging £62.50 for a Tuesday afternoon, it's not going to fill seats. The midweek matches it's definitely something to look at. The numbers are going to be down but put tickets out to youth academies and get them in and get the atmosphere going. The Lakeside's definitely the best atmosphere in the darts world that I've played in. I can see it moving forward this year, I think there's been a few new faces that have come on board and a bit more money invested in it. I know Nick Rolls tries his heart out so we will see how it goes."

He is glad also to see the World Masters return. But believes the brand needs protecting amid threat from the ADC and other organisations adding tournaments all the time.

"The Masters has to be there. Oldest competition in the sport. Did they get it right the last time round? For me the venue was wrong, the format was wrong. I think it should go back to how it used to be with sets. But then what I'm seeing there you're going to have Bob Anderson, Phil Taylor all qualified. You've got youth players who've won a Youth Event, turned 18 and now qualified for it. I don't know if they're capping the entries. But it's in Hungary which is not expensive compared to the Dutch two years ago. I'm glad it's on. Kind of wish the WDF could maybe do a little more, bring the World Trophy back as they need to protect the brand."