World Darts Championship fan residing on-site for 21 days after touchdown dream job
A lucky darts fan will live on-site at the World Championship, enjoying access to all 127 matches, as part of a dream role.
Darts superfan to live on site at World Championships
A dedicated darts fan has landed his ultimate dream role after being crowned Fireball’s Final Boss. Lucky winner Billy Newton, from Wigan, will be living every fan’s dream, watching all 127 matches of the World Darts Championship which kicked off last week, with exclusive behind-the-scenes access.
Billy was chosen from a nationwide search, involving a series of challenges and an unforgettable interview with darts-mad influencer JaackMaate. As part of his new role, he’ll be sharing all the excitement on social media, and he’ll even be living in a caravan at Alexandra Palace for the full 21 days to stay close to the action.
Winner Billy Newton from Wigan said: “I might need to miss quite a few life moments to attend all the darts games. I’m missing my work Christmas party for the arrows, but it’s definitely a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
“I’ve followed it for over 10 years and I already watch pretty much every match shown on TV, plus I’ve been to watch it live in two different countries.
“Fortunately, my partner loves darts too, so it’s not caused any problems yet, I’m living this experience so other fans can feel it.”
The news comes as a study of 2,000 adults found that four in ten sports fans would happily miss a ‘major life occasion’ to catch a key game or event. A third admit they’d skip weddings (31%), anniversaries (30%), or even medical appointments (30%) if they clashed with a big sporting moment.
Shockingly, 10% would even miss the birth of their first child, and one in 20 would break up with a partner to avoid missing a crucial match. Over a third (34%) think cancelling holidays is “fully justifiable” in the name of sport.
The survey also revealed that 20% of sports fans would skip a child’s school event, and nearly a quarter (23%) would reschedule a house move to catch a game. Unsurprisingly, three in ten have had arguments with their partners over their sporting obsession.
Football is the top sport for fans rearranging their lives (66%), followed by Formula 1 (24%), with one in six (16%) saying darts takes priority over almost everything else.
More than one in five (21%) have played truant from work to watch a sporting event, and 18% would happily fib to their boss to do so. A significant 37% believe cancelling other plans is ‘fully justifiable’ if it means supporting their favourite sport.
Among darts fans, 42% would make an excuse to dodge their work Christmas drinks to watch the arrows instead.
A spokesperson for Fireball Whisky added: “Sport has a way of commanding attention like nothing else. People will rearrange their schedules, skip events and even sacrifice sleep just to catch every moment.
“It’s not about neglecting responsibilities, it’s about passion taking priority, and darts fans are as committed as any others.”
