VINCE CALLS FOR PREMIER LEAGUE CHANGE
30/03/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
VINCENT van der Voort believes Dirk van Duijvenbode deserved a spot in the Premier League.
‘The Titan’ has won six Players Championship titles and finished as a runner-up in the 2022 World Series Finals.
However, his progress was halted by persistent shoulder problems, preventing him from performing at his usual level.
Former UK Open finalist Van der Voort admitted there are “too many Littler fanboys” in the current Premier League lineup and Dirk would step-up regardless of his opposition.
He said on the Darts Draait Door podcast: “Compared to some of the players in it now, I’d much rather watch Dirk. There’s always something happening when he plays.
“Some players just show up and act like the perfect son-in-law, but that doesn’t bring much excitement.
“There are too many Littler fanboys right now, so it would be great to see Dirk in the mix. He steps up to compete against him and does everything to win.”
Van der Voort also pointed out how some players, like Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall, are overly friendly with the world champion Luke Littler.
He added: “Every little thing, they’re giving him fist bumps or smiles. Dirk wouldn’t do that – just like he didn’t at the UK Open.
“Aubergenius wasn’t in the tournament this year, but in previous years, he definitely would have been.”
World No. 29 Van Duijvenbode revealed injury ruled him out from potentially securing a spot in the prestigious Premier League Darts lineup.
He said: “In my injury year (2024), I was really close.
“The PDC even asked me to come to Ahoy for an on-stage interview. It felt like they were preparing me for something.
“Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but when they start introducing you to that kind of stage, it means something.
“In the end, though, I was still far from making it because my season took a different turn.”
