Mark Webster of Sky Sports Darts is confident that Luke "The Nuke" Littler will not abandon his darts career because of the way he has been treated by spectators, even though the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is working hard to eliminate whistling from the venues while accepting that booing is likely to remain part of the atmosphere. Littler entered the 2026 season with a bold ambition: to capture every major PDC title in a single year. That dream was shattered on Sunday at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam when he suffered a decisive 10-4 loss to Jonny Clayton in the quarter‑finals.

While the defeat itself made headlines, the conversation quickly shifted to Littler’s ongoing friction with crowds, especially after he threatened to boycott Dutch events following a series of boos and whistles during his victory over Nathan Aspinall. The tension escalated throughout the tournament.

After a hard‑fought win against home‑favorite Danny Noppert on Friday, the arena atmosphere grew increasingly hostile. On Saturday, referee Charlie Corstorphine had to step in during Littler’s last‑16 clash with Aspinall to calm the situation.

This was not the first time Littler has taken a stand against volatile audiences; he previously refused to travel to the German leg of the European Tour after experiencing similar treatment from fans there. Despite the drama, Webster does not think Littler will walk away from the sport. "No, I don't think he's going to walk away from the sport over this," he said. "He was obviously very upset about how he was treated in the Netherlands at the weekend, but some of the opponents he played – a home favourite in Danny Noppert – he was going to get some rough treatment there." Webster acknowledged that while the whistling is a genuine annoyance that the PDC is actively trying to curb, booing is entrenched in darts culture and unlikely to disappear completely.

"I'm not saying it's right, and the whistling, I know they're trying to take it out of the game," Webster explained. "The booing, they won't be able to stop, but the whistling is something that's a bugbear to a lot of players at the minute. The PDC are trying to get rid of it. I spoke to a few of the security guys who are experimenting with stuff within the crowd, but obviously it got on top of Luke Littler this weekend.

He was saying after games he wasn't happy with the treatment he got. I don't like saying it, but a lot of the booing is part of the game now.

He kind of has drawn attention to it by speaking about it." Webster also noted that the whistling can be particularly distracting because it often occurs when a player is about to throw, potentially breaking concentration. "The whistling is annoying, and I think it's a bit sharper when the players are throwing and it puts them off. A constant boo, I think players can deal with. Luke has dealt with it in the past, and I'm sure he'll be okay," he added.

If Littler decides to skip future Dutch events, Webster believes he can still craft a successful calendar. "If he chooses to miss events in the Netherlands, that's his prerogative. There is a Premier League night there, which I think he'll play, but the European Tour has 15 events during the year. He doesn't really need to go to the Netherlands, so he can cherry‑pick there.

So if he does decide to boycott, he can still plan out his year, really." Webster is confident that Littler’s career is far from over. "He's got a long time left in the sport. I don't think he'll leave the sport as early as people make out.

He loves playing darts and he's brilliant at it, so I think he'll just bounce back. He'll get some more rough treatment and he'll try and deal with it the way he has done the majority of the time, and just win games and win tournaments. He was a little bit hurt at the weekend," Webster said. Beyond the immediate controversy, Webster highlighted Littler’s status as the sport’s marquee attraction.

At just 19, the youngster has already amassed a string of historic achievements: a debut run to the World Championship final, back‑to‑back World Championship titles, and multiple major victories that have drawn crowds in droves. "We're still in this boom on the back of what he did," Webster remarked. "There's other players, but he is the main draw.

After that run to the World Championships final on debut, and he's backed up by winning back‑to‑back World Championships. People buy a ticket to watch him. They may boo him, they may whistle when he throws.

He's the best player in the world, and we've got this sort of culture in our country where the best players receive a bit of rough treatment. They want them knocked off their perch." Looking ahead, Webster expects Littler to recover quickly and target the upcoming Grand Prix in Leicester. "He gets fired up himself, and I'm sure he'll bounce back in the right way at the Grand Prix in Leicester. It's easy to forget he's 19 because he's been around since he was 16, and he's done a lot in those three years.

We're already talking about sort of holding every major. As good as he is, that's always going to be difficult." Webster also urged Littler not to be too hard on himself after the loss to Clayton. "He was beaten by the better man in Jonny. He acknowledged that.

He was just a bit disappointed with the crowd. I fully expect him to win a few of the majors remaining.

I think the European Championships will be a massive priority for him, because then he's ticked every box. And then obviously go on to Ally Pally and try and retain that, keep the streak going, and just keep cementing his place at world No 1." The teenager still has a realistic chance of sweeping the remaining ranking events in 2026. While the World Series Finals, the World Cup and the Premier League are non‑ranking, winning the four remaining majors – Leicester, Dortmund, Wolverhampton and Minehead – would give him a near‑complete haul for the season.

However, after his defeat in Amsterdam, Littler withdrew from two Players Championship events in the Netherlands within 24 hours, fueling speculation that he might also skip the Players Championship Finals if his clean‑sweep hopes are extinguished. Currently, Littler sits £16,750 short of the final qualification spot for the Players Championship Finals, a gap that may widen if he continues to avoid Dutch tournaments. Yet Webster remains optimistic, believing that the youngster’s hunger and talent will see him return to the top of the Order of Merit.

Sky Sports will continue to be the primary broadcaster for the sport, with the World Grand Prix (28 September–4 October), the Grand Slam of Darts (14–22 November) and the World Darts Championship (10 December–3 January) all slated for live coverage. Fans can also stream matches via NOW without a contract, ensuring that despite any crowd‑related controversy, the sport remains accessible to a global audience.