Luke Littler signs sponsorship deal reportedly worth £20 million
Darts has gained a lot more prominence in the last few years thanks to the incredible success of English player Luke Littler. Though he’s still just 18, it’s safe to say he’s taken the world of darts by storm as he’s broken records and notched up some impressive career stats.
His meteoric rise to the top has caught many people by surprise. He’s very quickly become one of the biggest names - if not the biggest - in darts and has encouraged many others to take up the sport. Darts betting has also been affected by the teenager’s career. People who place darts bets online at sportsbook sites are no doubt enjoying having such an exciting player to bet on. Littler was initially seen as an outsider, though he soon proved people wrong.
Luke Littler’s Sponsorship Deal
It was announced on 9 January that Littler has signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with Target Darts reportedly worth up to £20 million. The exact figure hasn’t been confirmed, though there are known to be possible bonuses and add-ons that could make the deal even more valuable. Target Darts has confirmed it’s the largest deal between an individual player and a brand in the history of the sport.
Littler is currently managed by Target Darts and has said that the company has backed him from the very beginning of his career. The company has played a key role in helping Littler succeed in his playing career and develop his own line of products, which currently includes playing shirts, darts and dartboards. Littler is said to be excited to make a formal, long-term commitment to the company and is looking forward to whatever comes next.
Target Darts’ relationship with Littler began six years ago. At the British Darts Organisation’s Youth World Championship Qualifier in 2019, Garry Plummer, the Chairman of Target Darts, met twelve-year-old Luke. His father asked Plummer to sponsor his son. Plummer hadn’t agreed to sponsor someone so young before, but decided to take Littler on after seeing potential in him.
The recently signed sponsorship deal is an indication of just how far Littler has come and how much of an impact he’s had not just on darts, but on sports in general. He’s proven himself to be an exceptional darts player and consummate sports professional. Thanks to this sponsorship deal, he’s going to be earning similar amounts of money to other well-established sportspeople.
About Luke Littler
Photo credit: radionewshub.com
Luke Littler is currently ranked world No. 1 in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, having won the PDC World Darts Championship in 2025 and 2026. When he won in 2025, he became the youngest world champion in the history of darts at the age of 17 years and 347 days. His recent 2026 win made him only the fourth darts player in history to win the PDC World Darts Championship in three consecutive years.
Thanks in part to Littler’s role in promoting darts, the winner’s payment for the 2026 competition doubled to £1 million after staying at £500,000 for seven years. It’s been confirmed that the 2027 PDC World Darts Championship, for which Littler will no doubt return to defend his title, will take place in a larger venue. This will allow for an extra 70,000 spectators to watch matches across the tournament, as reported by London Insider.
Some of his many career highlights include:
• Being named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2024 (he was the first darts player to earn this accolade)
• Being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year runner-up in 2024
• Becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 Birthday Honours
Littler is often referred to as ‘The Nuke’ thanks to his rather quick playing style and his ability to score well. He’s been known to earn the maximum score of 180 quite frequently.
His love of darts began when he was just 18 months old. His father gave him a magnetic toy dartboard he’d bought at a pound shop. Littler claims to have scored his first 180 at the age of six. Then when he was nine, he joined St Helens Darts Academy to hone his skills and went on to compete in matches for under-21s.
Littler was born in Warrington, Cheshire, and spent the first six years of his life in Runcorn. His family then moved back to Warrington, where they’ve lived ever since. Luke’s mother works in a candle shop, while his father is a taxi driver. He has an older sister and two older brothers, one of whom is a former darts player.
Luke’s Future
With a record-breaking sponsorship deal and a PDC World Championship win to his name, Littler has already made a great start to 2026. His unpredictable rise to the top of professional darts has fascinated many people, even those who weren’t previously interested in the sport.
Littler has already made a huge impact on darts and thanks to this, people see him as a worthwhile long-term investment. Because darts is one of the less strenuous sports, professional players typically don’t retire until they’re in their 40s, 50s or even 60s. Littler might have been a legal adult for less than a year, but he’s surely going to have a long and successful career in darts.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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