Breaking Barriers: Noa-Lynn van Leuven's Journey to Ally Pally

17/12/2024

Isabella Keane comments on Noa-Lynn van Leuven’s Journey to the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship.

Article Image

Image by Image by Pickpik

By Isabella Keane

Professional darts player, Noa-Lynn van Leuven, will be the first transgender woman to appear at Alexandra Palace for the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship. This was after her defeat against the women’s number one, Beau Greaves. With a 5-3 victory in the final, she set the Women’s Series record with an average throw of 109.64.

Whilst it may appear as though she is championing a new epoch in the darts world, the controversy she has faced from her peers, in light of her success, exposes the more traditional and culturally stunted aspects of the sport. From cyber-bullying to verbal harassment at tournaments, it has even gone as far as Deta Hedman choosing not to compete in the 2024 World Darts Federation Tour in Hungary, in protest of van Leuven’s inclusion.

Yet this hasn’t stopped her, taking it in her stride she called out Hedman as a:

“Toxic B****”.

Perhaps rightfully so. However that doesn't mean it doesn't get to her:

“I'm pretty strong. It's rough going out on that stage but I do like it. I don't know what to expect from the crowd,” when speaking to Sky Sports.

But here’s the twist… darts tournaments, for the most part, are open to both genders! The only PDC darts tournaments that are not open to both sexes are the Women’s Series and Women’s Matchplay. This ultimately is a comment on the nature of the sport not being exclusive physicality-wise… or one may assume.

You would think standing firmly at the oche, holding a dart between your thumb, index and middle finger, to then pull the dart backwards to beside your eye, next, pushing the dar forward by your forearm as you extend your elbow, to propel the dart toward the board, would exert little to no physical effort, and provide no advantage to those with XY chromosomes.

Yet in the current world rankings, Luke Humpries is first , followed by Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen. Van Leuven is ranked 144 and there are currently no other female players ranked. History-maker Fallon Sherrock, the first female player to win a match at the Ally Pally, is competing in her fifth PDC World Darts Championships alongside Van Leuven.

So where does this gap between men and women in the sport come from?

There are many plausible explanations why the culture surrounding darts is significantly more male dominated; the chances of a young girl going to a pub and picking up a dart is a lot less likely, it is a tradition more common for fathers to pass down to their sons. There is also still a stigma surrounding it and the activities a young lady should be expected to partake in.

Aside from the advantage men will probably have gotten, being able to play for longer and their aspirations of pro-darts men being nurtured and developed, there are some studies into gender specific capabilities in hand-eye coordination. These suggest that men may have slight advantages in spatial reasoning and tracking objects, which could theoretically contribute to better performance in tasks like darts.

However, it is important to note that this difference is not absolute, being heavily influenced by training and practice.

Furthermore, there is a significant financial incentive for women to stay capped in the Women’s Series, even if they are capable of competing in the world championships and other big mixed tournaments. Under the assumption they probably won't break the top 32 (meaning a seeded position, where you avoid facing other top-ranked players in the early rounds, giving them a potentially smoother path deeper into the tournament), they will be paid less, with less sponsorship. Even worse, they could lose their tour card if finishing under the top 64. They very well could break the top 32, but the stakes are simply too high.

At the end of the day, a sport that you can play with a pint in your other hand has no intrinsic need for the separation of genders. It's not about having a physical advantage, but precision, practice, and mental resilience. All qualities Noa-Lynn van Leuven holds. Her appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship isn't just a personal triumph but one for the darts community as a whole, challenging outdated notions on gender in sport, as well as inspiring people in other communities, less traditional to the sport, to get involved.