We’re going to start this off by confessing that we’ve never been the most die-hard darts fans, only occasionally watching the odd game when it’s on in the pub and not knowing much beyond the big names — but there’s one name that everyone’s tipping to join them: Luke Littler.
For a lot of people who’ve recently gotten into the arrows, the famous nine-dart finish from the 2023 World Darts Champion Michael Smith against Michael van Gerwen — which went down as ‘the greatest leg ever‘ — will have likely been their way into the sport. It certainly caught our attention.
However, despite last year’s thrilling winner and crowd favourite crashing out, young Luke Littler isn’t just exciting his fair share of fans, players and pundits alike with his senior debut but he could genuinely go on and win the lot and is rapidly attracting a raft of new viewers who suddenly have someone to support.
Oh yeah, and did you know he’s still only 16?
Sit back and enjoy the best bits from Luke Littler's win over Brendan Dolan 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qQmdaFDUBb
Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler doesn’t look nervous standing up there in front of all those people. Not one bit.
On a serious note, the constant reminder of his age may have become a bit of a meme, especially given the whole looking a bit older than a teenager thing (insert tired Wolfy from The Inbetweeners joke here), but, at the root, it’s simply because it’s so hard to believe he’s already that good.
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That’s not to say that the youngster born just down the road in Runcorn and based even closer in Warrington is new to the game though; the 16-year-old told Sky Sports that he’s had a set of darts in his hand since he was “18 months old” and grew up idolising his sporting hero, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.
Littler also became the first two-time Junior Darts Corporation world champion in history back in November 2023, making it consecutive wins barely a fortnight before entering his first-ever senior World Championship as an unseeded teen who is now being considered as the genuine favourite to win it.
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Other players have won the WDC on debut in the past, his upcoming semi-final opponent Rob Cross being one of them back in 2018, but very few have ever arrived at the oche looking so at home and so supremely confident as such a young age.
Luke Littler is the youngest player in history to reach the PDC World Championship semi-finals 👏
Having secured his spot in the final four on New Year’s Day after beating seasoned pro and infamous big game pest, Brendan Dolan, the local phenomenon became the youngest player in history to reach the semi-finals, taking home a cool £100,000 in the process. Not bad for being basically fresh off his GCSEs.
The chants of ‘he’s got school in the morning!’ have been ringing around Alexandra Palace ever since he stepped foot in the place but it can’t be overstated just how true that is. The local lad and avid Manchester United fan only just finished secondary school this past summer and is now being discussed in the same breath as the game’s very best. Again, he’s 16.
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What’s more is that it’s not just the obvious natural talent which he’s apparently boasted since the age of four that’s earning him so many fast fans and new eyes to the sport, in general: it’s his whole demeanour. He struts around the stage like he’s been there as long as any other player, rarely so much as a set and doesn’t just brush off the age jokes, he seems to almost thrive on the noise and the hype.
From conducting the Ally Pally crowd to the PDC’s famous ‘Chase The Sun’ theme song, winking, grinning and showboating at all the right moments; joking with interviewers about his post-match victory kebab and a coke, snapping selfies with famous footballers already enamoured with his meteoric rise and more — he really does look to have it all.
16 and Premier League footballer are already fanboying over him. Mad. (Credit: Luke Littler via Instagram/Live Darts via X)
Everyone’s new favourite 16 year old is now just two games away not just from greatness, he’s already well and truly on that road, but a seriously immense bit of darts and sporting history full stop.
While van Gerwen became the youngest player to ever win a PDC major at 23 back in 2012, the youngest World Champion was Adrian Lewis at the age of 25. If Luke ‘The Nuke’ does goes on to lift that trophy, he’ll be comfortably in the history books before his career has even really started.
Moreover, the fact that he literally looks like half of the blokes most people went to school with (only with much better beard coverage than most of us had at that age) means that it’s been easy for fans and newcomers to latch on to him and a sport that’s viewership jumped 33% from 2022 to 2023 alone.
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It was only after Christmas chats with nine-year-old nephews, hearing our nans talk about ‘that brilliant young darts lad’ and watching a packed out Mulligans full of people from all walks erupt in cheers and pure limbs after his previous win that it hit home just how massive a prospect he is for the future of darts.
He isn’t just the bookes’ favourite, he’s Ally Pally’s too.
With MvG now out and only former champ Cross, fellow unseeded underdog Scott Williams and another heavy favourite in Luke Humphries left standing in his way, he admitted he really is “starting to dream” that he can do it and, more importantly, he believes he can.
Luke Littler is looking like a truly generational talent who is already on the brink of history in what is sure to be a blockbuster all-English final two rounds and could truly change the game for decades to come.
No pressure — not that he’d feel it anyway.
It’s absolute fairytale stuff and we can’t wait to see how this chapter pans out. If you’re not into darts yet, we’d bet a fair few of you are about to be.
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"𝙄'𝙢 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬."
Luke Littler reflects on reaching the Semi-Finals to continue his historic debut run and responds to Premier League speculation ☢️🗣️
Featured Images — Luke Littler (via Instagram)/Sky Sports
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Baltimore Ravens – The NFL team taking flight in the UK
Daisy Jackson
Manchester might soon have a new favourite football team – but it’s not necessarily what you think.
The NFL is becoming increasingly familiar to British sports fans. Games in London have become an annual fixture, American football has found a growing audience across the country, and now one team in particular is building a passionate following here: the Baltimore Ravens.
You may have seen the purple jerseys at watch parties around the UK, or heard fans talking about the ‘Flock’.
But who exactly are the Ravens, and why are so many British fans getting behind them?
To understand the Ravens, you have to go back to 1996.
The city had previously been home to the Baltimore Colts, but the franchise famously relocated to Indianapolis in 1984, leaving behind a huge hole in the city’s sporting identity.
More than a decade later, NFL football returned, when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell moved his franchise to Baltimore (unusually, leaving the Browns name behind in Cleveland, and launching a new franchise in Maryland).
Baltimore Ravens trainingManchester has been hosting Baltimore Ravens watch parties
Baltimore’s new franchise needed an identity, so it was put forward to the fans, who settled on Ravens after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, The Raven. The team’s mascots are also called Edgar, Allan, and Poe.
The Ravens played their first regular-season game in September 1996, beating the Oakland Raiders 19–14.
And they didn’t have to wait long to become one of the NFL’s most formidable teams.
The defining moment of the Ravens’ early history came in the 2000 season.
Led by a ferocious defence featuring future Hall of Famers such as linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Rod Woodson, Baltimore powered through – and then dominated – Super Bowl XXXV.
The MT&T Bank StadiumBaltimore Ravens cheerleaders and mascot
The Ravens had their second Super Bowl triumph 12 years later, when quarterback Joe Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a dramatic victory over the San Francisco 49ers. It was the final game, and a fairytale ending, for Ray Lewis’ legendary career.
If Ray Lewis helped define the Ravens of the 2000s, Lamar Jackson has become the face of the modern franchise.
Drafted in 2018, Jackson quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in American football. He’s arguable the perfect introduction to the sport if you’re discovering American football for the first time.
So, why should Manchester care about Baltimore Ravens? Part of the appeal is the football itself.
The Ravens have traditionally built their identity around toughness and physicality. There is a sense of personality about the franchise too, from the purple colours and the raven imagery to the passionate ‘Flock’ of supporters.
Ravens fans have been gathering in the UK for years, with regional meet-ups and watch parties taking place around the country, including in Manchester. The UK Ravens community continues to organise events where fans can watch games together, whether they’ve followed the team for decades or have only just discovered the NFL.
That’s perhaps the best way to understand the appeal of the NFL in the UK.
You don’t need to fly to Baltimore to experience it. Find a watch party, grab a purple jersey, learn the rules as you go and join the Flock.
Manchester City’s Stadium Tours are back for the summer and bigger than ever
Danny Jones
Manchester City stadium tours are back for summer 2026, with more to see from the home of the Blues than ever, and with 15% off all tickets until the end of August, too.
It’s safe to say that Man City are going through a HUGE period of change right now: embarking on a new era under Enzo Maresca following the dynasty of Pep Guardiola, vast redevelopments of the wider Etihad Campus, a new club hotel, and the expansion of the North Stand – now named after said Catalan coach.
With that in mind, there’s so much new stuff going on over in East Manchester and arguably more of it all happening in one place than we can recall in recent memory, making it the perfect time for Cityzens to return to the famous home ground – indeed, your Etihad debut if you haven’t made one already.
Giving you greater access to areas usually reserved for players and staff only than ever, this exclusive, interactive and virtual tour will take you through the very bones of the storied sporting arena, all the way through to pitchside.
Fans can explore the dressing room and follow in the footsteps of their favourite City players as they walk through the iconic glass players’ tunnel, before walking out into the open air and sitting in the dugout to take in that incredible view.
You can also try out the latest ‘Beyond the Blue Moon’ experience – an immersive VR adventure that sees supporters journey through Manchester City’s past, present, and future.
Following on from Pep lending his likeness, using innovative technology, you can now even have the chance to put your questions to Erling Haaland in the Press Conference Room.
There aren’t many teams on the planet that offer this level of stadium tour, let alone just here in the UK, so it’s no wonder they remain award-winning almost every single year.
Whether you’re a lifelong City fan, a football lover or visiting this wonderful place we call Manchester for the very first time, there’s something for everyone.
For instance, with The Medlock Hotel and accompanying Medlock Square already lining up its maiden events, the City Football Group (CFG) are once again committing to make the wider Etihad Campus an all-year-round entertainment destination.
That being said, plenty of people online have been generating a lot of buzz about the aforementioned Medlock’s new stadium-view rooms since clips appeared on social media.
Pitch view rooms coming to the Radisson Blu Medlock Hotel at #ManCity’s Etihad Stadium. 🤯
As for the tickets themselves, the club have also taken steps to keep the cost affordable.
Standard prices start from just £32 for adults and only £20 for under-16s, with larger family packages available from £60.
BUT, with the 15% discount mentioned earlier, adults currently cost just £27; kids go for just £17, and those family passes start from just £51.
You can find all the options when it comes to stadium tour passes and grab the type of admission that suits you right HERE.
Speaking of tickets, City have also been met with praise for the introduction of new discounted seats for local residents; find out all the details below.
Danny Jones -
2nd January 2024 
