A darts academy launched in Arbroath in the hope of breeding future champions is now the biggest in Scotland.
Fast-throwing county player and Lakeside star Alan Soutar has been coaching players aged between 10 and 21 on Thursday evenings in the Cafe Project at Brothock Bridge.
The Scotland international said the academy has taken off and he believes some of the youngsters could go on and follow in the footsteps of players like Phil ”The Power” Taylor, Gary Anderson and Simon Whitlock.
Alan told The Courier: ”The academy is now the biggest in Scotland. We are regularly getting 50 youngsters every Thursday. We’ve had to split the nights into two sessions just to accommodate everyone.”
Alan started playing darts at an early age. At just 14 he played in the men’s leagues in Arbroath and Forfar. A year later he became the youngest winner of the Arbroath Champion of Champion.
He said: ”I think there are three or four players who could make the Scottish Youth Team if they continue to progress and it would be fantastic if they could go even further.”
Alan, who works as a firefighter, made his Lakeside debut last year after qualifying for the BDO World Professional Darts Championship and has travelled the world. He said giving up his free time to help develop the raw skills of what could be the next generation of talent has been extremely rewarding.
Darts is also a sport where numerical skills come in to play and the youngsters are honing their maths skills while perfecting the art of throwing tungsten.
The recent boom in professional darts is changing the cultural landscape of a traditional working-class game. What was up until recently regarded as a pub game is now the most watched indoor sport in the UK.
Lakeside debutant Alan lost 3-1 to ninth seed Willy van de Wiel in last year’s BDO tournament. He will attempt to qualify for next year’s championship when he takes part in qualifying in Hull on October 10.