Crowd behavior at major darts tournaments is sparking renewed concern, with Sky Sports pundit Laura Turner warning that disruptive noise could lead to players walking off the stage. Incidents at recent events, including a Premier League night in Nottingham where players were visibly affected, and the European Darts Trophy in Göttingen where referee Huw Ware intervened after Stephen Bunting was distracted by shouting, have highlighted the issue. Turner, speaking on the Love the Darts podcast, described the problem as "really tough" and noted that such behavior, while common on the European Tour, is now creeping into big televised competitions.
Turner expressed frustration over fans booing and whistling, stating, "You want to go and see the best players in the world. Then you spend your whole time booing and whistling and then you're not allowing the players to get the best out of themselves." She added, "It's feeling like it's more part and parcel, but I just hope it isn't," fearing it could become a permanent fixture in modern darts. Her concerns extend to the potential for players to lose patience, saying, "It could even come to a point where players just decide they've had enough, and they walk off the stage."
Officials are increasingly stepping in to address the problem, with Turner citing referees like Huw Ware and MC Philip Brzezinski, who reprimanded the crowd in Göttingen. She noted that the sport is discussing the issue more, with efforts to "force it out," but acknowledged that stopping it entirely remains difficult. The debate continues as the PDC grapples with balancing fan enthusiasm and player concentration at events.
