Luke Littler warned against cashing in on world fame

Luke Littler has been warned against simply cashing in on his sudden fame after Barry Hearn said the 16-year-old darts sensation was the game’s answer to Tiger Woods.

Littler demolished legend Raymond van Barneveld on Saturday to reach the World Championship quarter-finals. And even though Littler could instantly become a millionaire just through exhibitions and sponsorships, Hearn emphasised the need for balance.

Reaching the last eight against Brendan Dolan on New Year’s Day has already guaranteed Littler £50,000 just six months after completing his GCSEs but he is now also joint second favourite for Wednesday’s £500,000 first prize.

Hearn, whose company Matchroom owns the Professional Darts Corporation, believes Littler’s phenomenal success – and the new audience that is flooding in – will change darts forever but stressed the “delicate stage” of his development.

“I had it with Steve Davis,” said Hearn, who reckons that Littler could “without blinking” immediately secure £1 million of exhibition work at the going rate of around £10,000 a night.

“You just get the balance right where they still have a half normal life,” said Hearn. “You let them mature as a person without being just money orientated. That sounds weird coming from me [but] it is something where, in the long run, you are going to do much better.

“He’s clearly got a lot going for him, his parents and the group around him are very supportive. Now they mustn’t just look at the money because that will come automatically if you are good enough.

“There’s a tremendous number of great players coming through because they smell the money. Top of the tree darts players are probably earning £2-£2.5 million a year.

“With him it’s a question of drip-feeding his notoriety. If I was managing him I’d put his fee up to an astronomical number and then, by the laws of supply and demand, that will cut down the possibility of him being burnt out. The biggest job for him will be to actually control his diary.

“You compare it to [Emma] Raducanu. I wouldn’t be cruel and call it a flash in the pan but that [Raducanu] is a one-off that hasn’t been followed up. She’s still a good player – there’s something missing there, injuries whatever. This kid, you think, could be the face of darts for the next 25 years.

“I think he is one of those players in 10 years’ time, we will look back and say, ‘That was the moment the game changed again and went up another level’. People are looking at Luke Littler and going ‘Bloody Norah, why not me?’ It will inspire a generation.”

Hearn, who has managed the likes of Davis, Chris Eubank, Anthony Joshua and Ronnie O’Sullivan, acknowledged the duty of care the PDC also now shares in handling Littler’s workload once the World Championship finishes on Wednesday. It follows pleas from Gary Anderson, the world champion in 2015 and 2016, to just “let the boy play darts” following concern over excessive media attention.

“You feel like you shouldn’t put too much pressure on the kid and then you watch him play and he doesn’t look under any pressure. He walks up there talking about kebabs,” said Hearn.

“He’s not thinking, ‘500 grand, change my life.’ He’s thinking: ‘Wow, this is bloody marvellous.’ It’s just fun – that makes him the most dangerous darts player on the planet.

“I feel like I want to ask for his passport, just double check it. He plays like he’s not 16 but he is 16. My wife is a great benchmark. She’s not a darts fan at all and she was glued to the screen on Saturday. She’s turning over The Voice – a series that she watches every week – and wants to watch Luke Littler. Suddenly a story about a darts player is not just in the sports news, it’s in the main news.

“It’s made for the World Series where we take darts to far flung countries. You can imagine him in New York and Madison Square Garden throwing darts – the Yanks will go absolutely potty because everyone loves this type of story.”

Hearn said it is also being seen in “humongous” ratings on Sky Sports who, he notes, have only 18 months left on a contract to continue coverage of the PDC World Championship which began with its launch 30 years ago.

“The ratings around the world are off the scale,” said Hearn. “It’s number two on Sky [Sports] behind Premier League football. I think Sky will be over the moon. Other broadcasters will look at it and say: ‘Why haven’t we got that?’

“I’ve got companies phoning me up who we have never done business with before – we did a deal with Bosnia Herzegovina the other day. Promoters get carried away but I’m getting carried away because it’s a quantum moment for the sport. This is a Boris Becker moment, this is a Tiger Woods moment.”