The 3 Arena was packed out last night for the Dublin leg of the Premier League Darts tour.
The stadium holds six times the number that can be accommodated at Alexander Palace in London for the World Championships but it is from that wellspring that the immense popularity of the sport has grown.
The tickets were gone within hours when they went on sale and the preparation in terms of fancy dress, familiarity with the songs and the rhythms and everything else that goes with it had been fully undertake.
From a PDC and Sky Sports perspective this is a winning formula that needs very little tweaking.
The best eight players in the world gather every Tuesday from February to May, landing in a different venue each week and being introduced by John McDonnell in his familiar tones.
Emma Paton, Mark Webster, Wayne Mardle and all the familiar faces and voices are on the stage and the giant screens to the side and suspended over the oche bring the experience of the TV environment, with all the detail and reaction to life, either side of the beers being bought and then in many case thrown in the air to celebrate a 180 or a big finish.
You can imagine coming back next year, or in ten years time and the same reactions, the same lively reactions and in some cases the same players on stage. Luke Littler will by then still be younger than most of the players in action last night, from his conqueror and eventual winner Gerwyn Price, to his predecessor as World Champion Luke Humphries, Michael Van Gerwen, Nathan Aspinall and the rest.
He has brought a younger fan base. There were a lot more families and kids in the stands last night, wondering is this what adults always get up to when they go for a night out.
He had been out to the D7 Darts Academy in Cabra as part of his trip and met with Pitbull who wrote his familar walk on music and by chance was playing in the venue last night.
If you get it, it is a great night out. If not then there will always be tamer ways of engaging with sport but for this one night of the year, so close to the World Championships, it was an experience and one that most of those in attendance last night, will be signing up for again in 2026 and beyond.
SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
Is darts a sport? Our definition is that if there are elements of skill and competition that it fits the bill, so yes. The psychological pressure when it comes to the business end of competition is as intense as any and the engagement of the fans is far noisier and more visceral than many.
WHAT’S UP NEXT?
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