Darts
2024 Grand Slam of Darts: Mickey Mansell’s Hard-Hitting Rant on the Reality of Professional Darts
Mickey Mansell reflects on his historic Grand Slam run, highlighting the struggles of lower-ranked players and his frustrations with the PDC’s Pro Tour changes affecting his darts career.
Northern Irish underdog Mickey Mansell caused a huge stir in the world of darts with his unexpected run to the semi-finals of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, reaching the stage for the first time in his career at the age of 51.
Mansell’s journey to the final four was marked by a series of impressive victories, including one over fellow lower-ranked player Cameron Menzies, who is better known for his relationship with Fallon Sherrock, the Queen of the Palace.
The State of Darts for Lower Ranked Players
In a candid post-match interview, Mansell didn’t hold back, sharing the struggles he’s faced throughout his darting career and highlighting the challenges players outside the sport’s top 32 must endure to sustain a career while maintaining a livelihood.
“I'm working as a joiner; you know what I mean? Last week I was laying floors, you know what I mean? It's a massive amount of money to me,” he said, referring to the financial significance of his success.
Mansell’s run to the semi-finals has already earned him £53,500, a sum that will make a huge difference to his family’s finances. If he can go all the way and claim the Eric Bristow trophy on Sunday, that figure could rise to £150,000.
Mansell Calls Out Barry Hearn for Pro Tour Change
However, his success on the oche wasn’t the only topic of conversation. Mansell didn’t mince words when discussing his frustrations with the current structure of the PDC’s Pro Tour events, particularly the shift to holding all ‘floor’ events during the week.
In this new format, a sharp contrast to the past, tournaments that were once held on weekends outside of major televised events have now been moved to weekdays, which has disrupted the balance for players like Mansell who rely on day jobs to support their families.
“I work during the week, I’m a joiner. Barry [Hearn] threw a spanner in the works moving everything into the middle of the week,” Mansell told SportsBoom.com, referring to the change introduced by PDC CEO Barry Hearn.
He explained how this change has forced him to rethink his schedule, as he can no longer juggle a full-time job and darts the way he used to.
“I used to work in the week, but now I’m trying to cover the costs when I have to play in the week. There was an income always coming in, when I could always work in the week, but now on those Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, if I don’t win, there’s no income. I’m playing to try and cover what I’m missing out on,” he said, expressing the added pressure that comes with this shift.
Image credit: PDC
Darts can be “Savage”
For Mansell, the struggle is not just about the financial strain but also the difficulty of competing against the sport’s elite, particularly the players ranked inside the top 16, who have a more stable financial foundation and better opportunities to compete for big prize money.
“It’s a real pressure situation, it’s not ideal. Not everyone has this situation [the sport’s top 16 players].”
Mansell highlighted how the opportunities for players outside the top 32 to earn significant money are limited, and how the public perception of professional darts can be misleading.
“As I say, whenever you're further down the ranking, very rarely once you come out of the 32 [top 32 players in the world] you get an opportunity to play for that kind of money,” Mansell explained.
“For me and Cameron [Menzies], it’s savage, and how many chances we get to play for this kind of money won’t come very often,” he added, emphasising the harsh realities faced by players lower down the rankings.
Mansell’s comments paint a stark picture of the challenges faced by many professional darts players who are trying to make a living in a sport that often seems more glamorous from the outside.
While players at the top enjoy steady income and the luxury of competing for huge jackpots, those further down the ladder have to work tirelessly just to stay afloat, with few opportunities to break into the big money tournaments.
Despite these struggles, Mansell’s incredible run at the Grand Slam has captured the attention of the darts world, and his unflinching honesty about the pressures of professional darts has shed light on the tough reality that many players face.
For now, he can take solace in the £53,500 he has earned, but the journey to the final is about more than just the money, it’s about proving that the dream is still alive, no matter how tough the odds may be.
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