Matt Porter the Premier League selection was the hardest in a long time “I felt Danny Noppert was extremely unlucky” 

The selection of the Premier League Darts line-up was one of the biggest talking points at the start of the season, and according to Matt Porter, it proved to be one of the toughest decisions in recent memory.

With a number of players putting together strong campaigns and producing compelling statistical cases, Porter revealed that the final decision came right down to the wire.

“It was the hardest for a long time,” he said. “We genuinely didn’t get down to the final eight until about an hour before we announced it. There were a lot of opinions and a lot of statistical evidence taken into consideration, as well as people’s thoughts and views.”

Among the players who narrowly missed out was Dutch star Danny Noppert, a former major champion who many felt had a strong claim to be included in the eight-player field.

Porter admitted the decision was a difficult one and acknowledged that Noppert was particularly unfortunate to miss out.

“I felt Danny Noppert was extremely unlucky,” he admitted. “I spoke to Danny when I saw him in Saudi Arabia and he was very mature about the situation – he understood.”

Noppert was not the only player under serious consideration. Porter revealed that several others were part of the discussions, including established stars Nathan Aspinall and James Wade.

With only eight places available in the competition, Porter acknowledged that difficult calls are inevitable.

“Not everybody can get picked and not every decision will be popular,” he said. “We just make a decision in good faith as what we feel is right at the time.”

While debate around the line-up is a regular feature of the Premier League announcement, Porter also defended the players who were selected, suggesting that criticism directed towards some of them was unfair.

“I felt a lot of the comments about a couple of the players’ inclusions were really unfair to those players,” Porter said. “I don’t think there was anybody in there who you couldn’t say justified a selection.”

“Just because somebody else may have justified one in your eyes, that doesn’t mean the person who got picked didn’t justify one as well.”

Matt Porter the Premier League selection was the hardest in a long time

The start of the new season has also highlighted the continued global expansion of the sport, with players from an increasingly diverse range of countries making an impact on the international stage.

During recent events, competitors representing nations such as Kenya, India and New Zealand captured attention, reinforcing the progress that has been made through the Professional Darts Corporation’s international qualifying pathways.

For Porter, these storylines underline the effectiveness of the system that has been developed in recent years.

“It was really vindicating for the system that we’ve put in place,” Porter said. “Players coming through those routes now to the event are more than capable of competing on that stage.”

Another major factor in the sport’s growing profile is the continued rise of world champion Luke Littler.

The teenage sensation has become one of the most recognisable figures in British sport, appearing at high-profile events outside the darts world and helping bring the game to entirely new audiences.

“It’s almost become what we’re used to now,” Porter said of Littler’s appearances at events such as the Brit Awards and the Laureus World Sports Awards. “They’re just places that darts hasn’t been before. It’s phenomenal recognition for Luke first and foremost and after that for the sport.”

Littler’s rapid rise has been one of the defining stories in darts over the past two years, with the Warrington youngster rewriting expectations for what a teenage player can achieve.

According to Porter, the narrative surrounding Littler is now evolving. Early in his career, much of the attention focused on his age, but that is quickly becoming secondary to his achievements on the oche.

“Before it was, ‘Wow, he’s 16 and he’s qualified for the World Championship.’ Then it was, ‘He’s reached the final,’ then he wins the World Championship at 17 or 18.

“Now he’s 19 – it’s just a number. The achievement becomes the talking point.”

For Porter and the PDC, Littler’s success represents both a remarkable personal story and a powerful example of the sport’s growing global appeal.