It is not uncommon to spot well-known footballers in the stands at the PDC World Darts Championship. The sport enjoys considerable popularity among professional football players, many of whom are avid darts enthusiasts themselves.
The Netherlands is no exception. Several high-profile footballers are known supporters of darts, and on this occasion Davy Klaassen and Wout Weghorst went a step further by stepping up to the oche themselves. As shown in the footage, the two Dutch internationals took on none other than Gerwyn Price and Ross Smith.
That dartboards are a regular feature in football training facilities is widely known. The benefits of this pastime have been evident for some time. Tony O’Shea and Bobby George discovered this firsthand a few years ago, when two then largely unknown footballers stunned them on the stage of *The Kings of Darts*.
This took place during an edition of the event held at the Martiniplaza in Groningen, where a major exhibition tournament was organised featuring some of the biggest names in the darts world. Part of the evening’s programme included a doubles match in which two professionals from another sport competed on the dartboard. On that occasion, FC Groningen players Mike te Wierik and Kaj Sierhuis were the invited guests.
Their darting ability quickly became apparent, leaving Bobby George and Tony O’Shea watching in amazement as the footballers delivered their opening throws.
This time, it was Klaassen and Weghorst who were given the opportunity to test themselves against elite opposition in the form of Gerwyn Price and Ross Smith. Both footballers are known to regularly pick up the darts at their training complex whenever they are not on the pitch.
But how would they fare when coming face to face with players they usually only see on television? One thing was clear from the outset: the Ajax contingent were not averse to a bit of psychological warfare, something already evident during the pre-match ritual to decide who would throw first.
For both Price and Smith, the PDC World Darts Championship 2026 came to an early end. As a result, they will not be seen in action after the turn of the year as they bid for the 2026 world title.