Luke Littler will not play at this weekend’s German Darts Grand Prix after losing in the European Tour Card qualifying tournament in February. Most of darts’ top stars will be present at the event but Littler will be forced to watch on.
The 17-year-old won the first Euro Tour tournament in Belgium earlier this month but failed to qualify for the German event. He had sealed a passage through to the 48-player tournament as one of the qualifiers after winning February’s qualifying event.
However, he subsequently lost during the qualifiers for the German-based tournament, the second event on the 2024 Euro Tour. Jim Williams defeated Littler at the event in Wigan to ensure he was placed into the draw instead.
In a change to the Euro Tour qualifying format from previous years, the top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit will now automatically qualify for each event. They will be joined by the top 16 non-qualified players from the ProTour Order of Merit at the entry deadline.
Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price will be among the big names in Germany. It might come as a welcome rest to Littler after his manager, Martin Foulds, raised concerns about his schedule.
“It’s just another level, completely alien to anything that has happened in the darting world,” Foulds told the BBC. “[He gets] 20 to 40 emails, phone calls, messages, minimum [each day regarding media engagements].
“I probably spend 70 per cent of my working day dealing with Luke-related enquiries – calls, messages, Zooms, Teams meetings, media requirements.
“There’s no off-season in darts. You’ve got to travel to these events – you don’t just time-warp and you’re in Belfast, Graz, Munich, Rotterdam. It’s unsustainable for any player to travel and play all of those events. When you’re playing in the Premier League especially, travelling can take its toll on anybody.”
