How male-dominated, alcohol-fuelled darts is blazing trail for women
Female players, officials and pundits make mark Sherrock revels in status as overnight celebrity
“We’re living in changing times,” darts supremo Barry Hearn told The Daily Telegraph after announcing his decision to ring-fence two spots for female players at the PDC World Championship last year. “You don’t want to think you’re getting Pc-friendly or anything like that, but you have to acknowledge it.”
It was hardly the most resounding statement of intent, but events at Alexandra Palace over the past few days have provided a definite sense of a glass ceiling shattering. As unlikely as it sounds – and the long-standing image of alcoholfuelled, male-dominated arenas does make it seem highly unlikely – darts has managed to become a trailblazer for women in sport.
At the forefront of the cause is its new figurehead, Fallon Sherrock, the first woman to win a match at darts’ biggest tournament when she defeated Ted Evetts on Tuesday night. Bleary-eyed after just two hours’ sleep, the 25-year-old single mother from Milton Keynes spent the whole of yesterday growing accustomed to life as an overnight celebrity: beating Piers Morgan at darts on Good Morning Britain, teaching Victoria Derbyshire how to throw on her eponymous breakfast programme and sparring with Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2. There was even a congratulatory tweet from Stephen Fry.
“It’s been absolutely manic,” Sherrock said. “I didn’t think it would blow up as much as it has, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. We’ve been going all over London to all sorts of different studios. It’s been awesome. I hope I’ve done women’s darts proud, put women’s darts on the map and given it the recognition that it deserves.”
The crown is safely nestled on the new darting queen’s head, but as pivotal as her victory was, there is more to this revolution than her lone triumph. Sherrock was accompanied on stage during her win by Hungarian Daniela Bata Bogdanov, who has become the first female scoring official at this event.
Sherrock’s fellow player, Laura Turner, has also been a regular feature in the Sky Sports commentary booth throughout the competition.
Two years on from the decision to ditch the ubiquitous, scantily clad walk-on girls, the most testosterone-fuelled of sports is embracing women in all aspects of its presentation.
“Fallon’s win proves why we all deserve to be here,” Turner said. “I heard lots in the build-up about women players being a token gesture and not qualifying through the right route. Fallon didn’t just win her match, she played better than half the field.
“Seventies darts has that stigma to it and some people still live in that era. But now we’ve got a truly cosmopolitan competition.
“You have people from across the globe, people who are fitter than ever and people like Mikuru [Suzuki, who narrowly lost in the first round] and Fallon breaking those stereotypes. They are out of place in the 20th century and hopefully watching us play, commentate and score serves to break them down.”
Interestingly, darts has never actively blocked women from competing. All PDC events are open to players of either sex and the decision to ensure a female presence at the sport’s showpiece event was more about “giving women a platform to showcase their skills”, Matt Porter, the organisation’s chief executive, said.
While his verdict on walk-on girls was that they “had their time”, he insisted the female cheerleader troupe who flick pom-poms around
on stage before each match are there to stay.
“They are popular with men and women alike and are talented dancers,” he said. “So we don’t feel their presence in any way reduces the credibility of women within darts.”
The main question now is how darts builds on this landmark moment. Many women have suggested a female-only tour, although the PDC says the commercial appetite is not there yet, and Hearn remains fundamentally opposed to the idea of separating men and women.
Sherrock is not picky, just asking for as many chances to prove her talents as possible.
“It would be nice if there were more women involved at this World Championship, because there are women who can play at my standard, if not better, and they can beat men, too, so it would be nice to see them do it as well,” she said. “Maybe a ladies tour, anything to give us more opportunities.”
Porter said the PDC would review whether to increase the number of spots for women at the tournament. “We need to make sure women are keen to be involved in darts,” he said. “Whether it’s as players, spectators, officials, television viewers, whatever – we need them to feel the door is open.”