The Luke Littler effect! Premier League Darts ticket sales surge by more than DOUBLE and opening night prices boom by 20 per cent… as fans rush to watch the teenage sensation’s debut

Luke Littler‘s debut season in the Darts Premier League has caused a huge influx in ticket sales for the event.

Littler was awarded a place in the eight-man competition on the back of reaching the final of the World Championship in his debut campaign, which saw him reach the final before losing to Luke Humphries.

The 17-year-old has taken the sport by storm, bursting onto the scene as he beat the likes of Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross on his way to finishing runner-up at the Worlds at the age of 16.

In his first tournament since his rise up the ranks, Littler lifted the Bahrain Darts masters, outlasting all seven of his Premier League competitors to lift the trophy having also hit a nine-darter on the final day of the competition, before coming runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in the Dutch Masters.

Via Viagogo, Littler’s success has more than doubled interest in the competition, with the player everyone wants to see in action driving the sport forward into a new dimension.

Littler has risen to fame after reaching the final of the World Championship earlier on this year

He went onto win the Bahrain Darts Masters, besting his seven Premier League opponents

While the Premier League will get underway on Thursday and last over several months, ticket sales for the final at the O2 Arena in May have increased by 204 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Meanwhile, the competition will start in Cardiff, and the average price of tickets have increased by 20 per cent to £91, with prices for tickets to the competition in general rising by an average of 11 per cent to £83.

While tickets for the final have sold for as little as £44, Viagogo have urged darts fans to wait for demand to settle in order to pick up cheaper tickets.

Cris Miller, Viagogo’s Global Managing Director, said of the sales: ‘Luke Littler has captured the imagination of a whole new generation of darts fans and, despite his tender age, is already the biggest ticket in darts. 

‘It’s evident that his World Championship run, and remarkable performances since then, have played a pivotal role in driving this heightened interest in the Premier League season.

‘Viagogo exists to connect fans with live events in a safe and secure way, and help ensure every seat is sold. Darts consistently ranks in our top 10 most in-demand UK sports and this ranking will only increase with ‘The Littler Effect’. 

‘Given his age and prodigious talent, fans are watching him make history almost every time he is at the oche.’

The 17-year-old will face Luke Humphries (left) in a rematch of the World Championship final in his first game in the competition

Tickets for the opening night in Cardiff on Thursday are selling for an average price of £91

Littler will kick off his Premier League campaign with a match against world champions Humphries, with the knock-out format set to continue for this year.

It does however mean one of the World Championship finalists will fall at the first hurdle, though 17 weeks of competition means there will be plenty of time to make up ground.