Former world champion Keith Deller has reminded Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price of their responsibility to the sport, insisting that lucrative exhibitions must not come at the expense of official PDC events. The 1983 world champion told Oche180 that the biggest names have a duty to support the televised circuit.
Littler, 19, has claimed all six major televised titles on the schedule so far this year and is now the face of the sport. However, he has withdrawn from ten European Tour events this season and also skipped the World Series stops in Australia and New Zealand. He played only three European Tour events in 2026, though he won two of them.
Deller admires Littler's achievements but stresses that, given his status, the Englishman now plays a key role in the sport's continued growth. "It's got to be good because you have to admire the lad's ability," Deller said. "Darts is not easy. Anybody can throw a dart but it's not going to go in the right place 90 per cent of the time." He added: "He makes it look very easy and that is the worry. I think it is great for the sport. If you are going to miss tournaments, not so good when you are the main guy."
Deller highlighted the combination of a packed PDC schedule and the lucrative exhibition circuit as a key issue, noting that the biggest names can earn significant money outside official tournaments. "I think the exhibition circuit for a lot of these top players is going to be not so much in a couple of years' time," he continued. "I know they can earn really good money but it's no good playing exhibitions then saying you are tired and missing tournaments."
The former world champion, who views the obligations of top-player status differently from a different generation, believes the biggest names should be present at as many major PDC tournaments as possible. "I'm old school where I think the PDC are putting on so many big events now you want this to go worldwide."
Deller also sees huge growth potential for darts, pointing to untapped international markets. "We all know if China went mad about it and the US can get bigger and bigger, the lads can be playing for £5million or £10million top prize." That is exactly why he feels the biggest names right now have a responsibility to support the PDC's televised events. "So, it's up to the likes of the two Lukes and Gerwyn to really push the TV events and play all of them because that is where you are going to get the global audience."
For Littler, his rapid rise means he is under increasing scrutiny — not just for what he does on the oche, but also for his role as the figurehead of a sport that, according to Deller, is still far from reaching its international ceiling.
