Tickets for this summer’s US Darts Masters sold out in minutes prompting promoters to switch next year’s tournament to a new, and much bigger, venue
Darts has hit the bullseye in the US – with Luke Littler now competing for the spotlight with Taylor Swift.
Tickets for this summer’s US Darts Masters sold out in minutes prompting promoters to switch next year’s tournament to a new venue more than three times the size.
The two-day event featuring 16 of the world’s top players – including teen double world champion Luke – is usually held in the 5,600-capacity Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York.
But after the clamour for tickets for this year’s contest in June organisers have moved it to the Garden’s famous 19,500-seat arena in 2027.
It has staged performances by music’s biggest legends including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Queen, Led Zeppelin, U2, Elton John, Billy Joel, Sir Paul McCartney and current superstars Harry Styles…and Taylor.
The upgrade comes after the sport’s world championship announced it too will move to a bigger venue at London’s Alexandra Palace next year to accommodate the vast demand for tickets.
It will be held in the Ally Pally’s Great Hall where 5,000 fans will be able to watch each session instead of the 3,200 who previously crammed into the building’s smaller West arena.
But the even world championship’s new super-crowd will be dwarfed by the vast audience awaiting the players in New York.
Professional Darts Corporation chairman Barry Hearn said: “We went on sale in New York last week and we sold six thousand tickets on the first day at Madison Square Garden.
“Watch this space because next year we are going to come out of the Theatre at Madison Square Garden and we are going to go into the full arena.
“If you had imagined that in your dreams 10 years ago,would you ever see a sold-out Madison Square Garden – arguably the most famous stadium in the world – for darts in America?
“The answer is it’s coming. This sport has got personalities.
“I get darts players saying to me, ‘I have got ideas’.
“These are ordinary guys who look like someone who lives around the corner to you. But they have extraordinary ability.
“Luke Littler is a great ambassador. Let’s hope they all stay sensible.
“Darts puts a smile on my face every time.”
Littler, 19, is expected to battle it out with world No2 and defending champion Luke Humphries, 31, for the US Darts Masters crown on June 25 and 26.