World No. 1 Luke Humphries has suggested the elite game becoming younger over the years is ‘good for the sport’.
The 2024 World Champion is part of a new breed of players, including Josh Rock and Luke Littler, who won major tournaments before they hit 30.
Luke Humphries is one of four players aged 30 or younger in the PDC Top 20 and Cool Hand believes thinks that’s a positive.
Luke Humphries hails under 30 darts revolution
With players like Rock, Littler, and Dimitri van den Bergh occupying spots at the top of the rankings, Humphries believes the future of the game looks bright.
Speaking to Darts Now, the 29-year-old said: “10 or 15 years ago it was more of an older person’s sport.
“Most of the top 16 in the world were over 35 or 40, but now most of them are under 30 and I can see that changing in the next few years to being under 25.
“I think it’s becoming a young person’s sport and that’s good for the sport as a whole.”
Humphries has been drawn in a group with James Wade, Mickey Mansell, and Rowby-John Rodriguez at the Grand Slam of Darts.
The young stars have shone bright in 2024
Not only is darts becoming a younger sport in general, but overall major winners are less experienced too.
This year’s major winners (Stephen Bunting, Littler, Van den Bergh, Humphries, Michael Smith, Mike De Decker, and Ritchie Edhouse have an average age of 31.1.
Last year, however, the average age of major winners was 37.8 with the likes of Andrew Gilding and Peter Wright claiming top prizes.