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Dubbed “the greatest darts player who has ever lived” by his biggest rival, Luke Littler has taken the sport to new heights.
The 19-year-old beat Luke Humphries, who later praised him, 6-5 in the World Masters last week, taking his tally to 11 major PDC titles.
He is now the joint-third most successful player in the PDC era, tied with James Wade and behind only Michael van Gerwen (48 titles) and Phil Taylor (79 titles).
Since bursting onto the scene with a runner-up finish at the PDC World Championship in 2024, Littler has gone on to win back-to-back world titles — success that has helped fuel a surge of interest in darts at grassroots level, particularly among younger players.
“He has become an ambassador of the sport. After Christmas all the kids were turning up with Luke Littler darts,” said George Shaw.
Shaw works as Social Media Manager at Denton Town Football Club — but has always had an interest in darts.
In October 2025, Denton Town Darts was born.
Shaw said: “It all started with one of the lads from the first team asking for a dartboard. I play darts myself, and I have a brother who plays at a quite high level.”
He decided to go and get two dartboards for the club, paying from his own pocket, while the club funded the lights to go with it.
Through his brothers contacts, they managed to get help from darts supplier Harrow`s, who were happy to sponsor them with two extra dartboards, as well as ring lights and outer surround to protect the walls.
Since then, they have seen a massive growth of interest from locals who want to test their skills.
“As soon as we got them up we started posting pictures on social media to show people what it looked like and what we were about,” he said.
“Around the end of November and up until Christmas it really started to attract a lot of people.”
Shaw said one of the main motivations behind the project was to provide something positive for young people in the area.
“In Denton and Tameside there’s not much for kids around here,” he said. “We just wanted to get them off the streets and have a throw.”
The sessions are free of charge for kids under 16, with the club providing darts and equipment for those who do not own their own.
“It’s a warm environment, it’s safe, and everyone leaves with a smile on their face,” Shaw added.
He has also noticed clear evidence of what has been dubbed the “Luke Littler effect”.
“After Christmas we were asking the kids what they got, and so many of them had Luke Littler darts,” he said. “You can definitely see the impact he’s had.”
With numbers continuing to grow, Denton Town Darts now runs separate sessions for juniors and adults, with children’s darts held on Wednesdays and adult sessions on Fridays.
Looking ahead, Shaw has ambitions to take the project even further.
“Our aim is to eventually become an academy,” he said. “We’re working towards building a dedicated darts space with up to 18 boards, where we can cater for kids, adults and even disabled players.”
“For now, I’m just enjoying it. Seeing how many people turn up and how much they enjoy it—that’s what makes it worth it.”