Darts MC Reveals Heartbreaking Reason for Retiring After Littler vs Van Veen

A huge retirement in the sport of darts will take place after the World Championship final between Luke Littler and Gian van Veen on Saturday night.

The pair of former world youth champions meet at Alexandra Palace in a £1 million battle which could bring about the newest rivalry in professional darts.

Reigning champion Littler is vying to follow Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson in becoming a champion if he gets past Dutch star Van Veen, who he beat in the 2023 World Youth Championship at Minehead.

Van Veen won the competition twice in a row after that and after an incredible run on the big stage this year, is looking to make history in a series with Littler which is currently balanced at three wins apiece.

While the focus on Saturday night will be on two young superstars, it is also a massive spectacle for 65-year-old John McDonald as it will be his last final as an MC (Master of Ceremonies).

McDonald, who has been the on-stage voice for some of the biggest moments in darts and worked with the PDC since the 1990s, is retiring from his duties.

John McDonald is hanging up his microphone. Image: Getty

McDonald, a former paratrooper, has eight grandchildren and wants to be around to spend more time with them. He recently felt "a bit left out" after being unable to watch his grandson play for Chelsea Foundation because he was in Leicester for an event - with the other grandad taking him instead.

• If you want to see even more from SPORTbible, make us a preferred source on Google.

"I’m not getting any younger for sure," he told talkSPORT.

“I’ve missed so much of my own children growing up, never mind my grandchildren.

“And what really spurred me on [to retire] was I got a call from my grandson, who plays at the Chelsea Foundation.

“He said, ‘I’m playing at Southampton tomorrow, grandad, can you come and watch?’

“I was like, ‘No, I can’t, I’m up in Leicester.’

“And he said to me that it’s alright because his other grandad could take him, and I felt a bit left out again.”

He continued: “I thought, ‘How many times do you do this in your life when you feel so left out’.

“So I thought ‘Well, I’ve had a good run, it’s time for someone else to enjoy it.’

“I thought that maybe I can go off and enjoy my eight grandchildren and my lovely wife, that’s what I’ll do and I can’t wait.”

Darts MC sends message ahead of final match

For three decades as a sports announcer, McDonald's job has been introductions and to get the atmosphere going.

He has done so with such energy, passion and class. His retirement will also see him focus on his future pathway charity project which he set up to provide free training courses for those who "have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own" and help get them back into work.

Ahead of his last hurrah, McDonald took to Instagram to share a message. Accompanied by the classic Frank Sinatra song 'My Way', he wrote: "Last time, thank you all so very much for an amazing career, love you all x Onto the next stage retirement."