The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Soots showing off his roots for the big time
Alan Soutar has put Arbroath on the map with a specially-designed T-shirt that he will wear in the biggest month of his PDC darts career.
The Angus-based ace is set to star on ITV4 and Sky Sports in the Players Championship finals and World Championships at Alexandra Palace.
He will face World No 23 Daryl Gurney in the Players Championships at Butlin’s Minehead today.
Victory at the £500,000 Players Championships or £2.5 million World Championships will make Soutar a household name across the UK. But as a local hero in Arbroath, the man called Soots will never forget his roots.
That’s why he asked designers of his Missondarts T-shirt to put a star next to Arbroath.
“Arbroath means a lot to me,” Soutar told Courier Sport. “It’s where I grew up and where I live.
“I’ll always belong to Arbroath. It was a natural choice to pinpoint the town on my shirt. I’ll wear it with pride over the next few weeks.
“It gives me an enormous sense of satisfaction when I hear people in the media talk about me being a ‘firefighter from Arbroath.’
“It’s not just the Scottish darts star as there are seven of us on the tour. My unique angle is I’m from Arbroath and I’m really proud of that.
“I’m also a proud Scot and I’ll be wearing tartan trousers. I get an amazing level of support.
“Every time I play, there are messages from people in Arbroath, England and even America.
“It gives me a huge boost and I hope I can make a good account of myself.”
Soutar is ranked 79th in the PDC rankings and is targeting a top 64 spot by the turn of 2022. But while he’s proud at how well he’s adapted to life as a PDC debutant – soaring up 49 places in just 10 months on the tour – he’s already investing in the future of the sport.
Soutar has been pivotal to the formation and running of the Angus Darts Academy since its inception in 2012. More than 750 young people have played at the academy, including PDC Youth star Nathan Girvan.
And Soutar hopes – Covid-permitting – to open the doors again next year.
“The Angus Darts Academy is so important to me,” said Soutar. “As soon as we are given the green light, we’ll open again.
“It’s amazing to see the impact it has on young people. Hopefully I can do my best to inspire them in the coming weeks.
“This will be a new experience for me, playing in front of 5,000 people and potentially millions on TV.
“It’s a step up. It will determine how I cope with being a TV player on the big stage.
“It would be incredible to be in the top 64 by January 3. That’s the aim and if I get there I want to build on that next year.”