PDC take action after Luke Littler threatens Netherlands boycott over hostile crowd treatment

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have taken action to address crowd issues after Luke Littler threatened to boycott events in the Netherlands.

Littler made the claim after his World Series victory over Nathan Aspinall. Throughout his 10-9 win over ‘the Asp’, sections of the crowd decided to boo and whistle before the match referee was forced to call them out. Earlier in the tournament, the hostile crowd dished out similar treatment when Littler took on Netherlands-born thrower Danny Noppert.

Now, the PDC have taken early steps to address the issue, with former player-turned-pundit Mark Webster explaining how he has “spoken to a few security guys” who told him that experimental measures are being put in place to combat the issue.

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Discussing the impact the booing is having on the game and Littler in particular, he said: “No, I don’t think he is going to [walk away from the sport]. Look, he was very upset with the way he was treated in the Netherlands on the weekend.

“Some of the opponents he played, a home favourite in Danny Noppert. He was going to get some rough treatment there.

“Nathan Aspinall is very popular, as is Jonny [Clayton]. I’m not saying it’s right. The whistling, I know they are trying to take it out the game.

“The booing they won’t be able to stop. But the whistling is something that is a bugbear to a lot of the players at the minute.

“They are trying to get rid of it. I spoke to a few security guys, they’re experimenting with stuff in the crowd.

“But obviously, it got on top of Luke at the weekend. If he chooses to skip events in the Netherlands, that is his prerogative.

“There is a Premier League [night] which I think he will play. The European Tour, there are fifteen events.

“He doesn’t really need to go to the Netherlands. So, he can cherry-pick there.

“So, if he does decide to boycott, he can still plan out his year.”

Despite bearing the brunt of the negative reception, Littler managed to defeat both Aspinall and Noppert before losing 10-4 to Clayton in the quarter-finals and, in doing so, ending his bid to achieve a clean sweep of majors in 2026.

Stephen Bunting suggests punishments for darts fans who heckle

Bunting, who has also been subjected to negative treatment from supporters both at events and online, described how he combats the issue when he spoke to SPORTbible in association with Online Casino Groups.

“If you let the crowd know they’re getting to you, it can be ten times worse,” he said.

“It’s a hard one to say, but I don’t like the whistling. I’d rather have someone shouting abuse at me than whistling.”

Bunting also explained how he undergoes hypnotherapy to minimise on-stage distractions.

“It’s a horrible noise to hear when you’re trying to concentrate,” Bunting admitted. “But I understand it’ll keep happening, no matter how much we talk about it.

“Punishments need to be brought in, maybe. To give it some sort of stop. Until that happens, it’ll keep happening.”

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What did Luke Littler say about boycotting events?

As previously mentioned, Littler suggested that he may boycott events in the nation should the negative treatment from fans continue, having taken a similar stance by skipping events in Germany.

Littler said: “100%. Obviously, I don't know about the Germans. I've not been for a very long time. We'll have to see in Dortmund if it changes, if it stays the same.

“But yeah, if the Dutch stay like this, then I'm not going to do any Euro Tours over there. There's just no point in me travelling, wasting my time whilst I'm getting booed.

“I just want to play my darts, obviously sign autographs and stuff. Because the past two nights I've done nothing. I've just walked off stage, not thanked anyone. There's no point thanking everyone when they boo me.”