Katie Sheldon has watched darts grow rapidly in popularity across Ireland. The 22-year-old Irish player believes Luke Littler deserves much of the credit, with his performances inspiring a new generation of young players. At the same time, Sheldon is unhappy with the way the two-time world champion is often treated by the crowd.

Known as “The Dublin Diamond”, Sheldon is one of the biggest talents in Irish women’s darts. She currently combines her darts career with a job assembling cables, but hopes to make a bigger mark on the professional circuit over the next few years.

The Irishwoman has already produced several notable performances. She became girls’ world champion at the WDF World Masters and won the WDF World Cup twice as part of a team. She has also competed in the PDC Women’s Series and the Women’s World Matchplay in Blackpool.

Sheldon targets first PDC title

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sheldon says she has clear goals for the coming years. In particular, she wants to achieve more success on the Women’s Series, where the world’s best female players regularly face one another.

"I keep saying that one goal of mine is to pick up a PDC title, so a Women's Series. And along with that, it's trying to qualify for the Women's World Matchplay," she said.

The Irishwoman recently had the chance to reach a wider audience on the Netflix show Beat Luke Littler. Several contestants were invited to try to beat the world champion in a single leg, with a £501,000 top prize. Sheldon was unable to defeat Littler. Fallon Sherrock eventually claimed the prize.

“Beau Greaves has made us all better”

Sheldon greatly admires Beau Greaves, who once again dominated the PDC Women’s Series in impressive fashion this season. The Englishwoman won no fewer than 17 of the 24 tournaments.

Greaves also made history in April, becoming the first woman to win a PDC ranking event. At Players Championship 11 in Milton Keynes, she defeated former world champions Rob Cross, Gary Anderson and Michael Smith, among others.

The Englishwoman has since climbed to 75th in the PDC Order of Merit, bringing her closer to the world’s top 64. Sheldon believes Greaves’s presence has significantly raised the standard of women’s darts. "She's really a great talent, and she's pushed us all. I think her being there has actually brought the standard up."

At the same time, the Irishwoman fears the Women’s Series could lose a key player. Female players who hold a Tour Card and rank among the world’s top 64 are no longer allowed to compete in the Women’s Series. "Her being there has been a massive help to all of the women to progress their game, but I think it would be a sad loss to the Women's Series when she's gone."

Katie Sheldon has competed in the Women’s World Matchplay

“There used to be only a few kids”

Alongside the growth of women’s darts, Sheldon has also seen the sport take off in Ireland. She says interest has risen sharply, especially among young people.

She credits Littler’s success with much of that growth. "I think Luke has given everyone that interest. I think a lot of people have started picking up darts, but mainly youths.

Sheldon remembers how small the youth competitions were when she started out. "When I played youth darts in youth academies, there wasn't that many of us, a couple of lads, but the numbers are just through the roof now."

She points to a recent event at a darts academy in Dublin as an example. "We have a Dublin academy, and I think at the team event, there was 183 kids there at the weekend, just playing darts for their local teams and clubs, which is amazing for the sport. It's great to see the growth, and I think a lot of that is down to what Luke's done."

Sheldon criticises jeers and boos aimed at Littler

Although Littler is hugely popular around the world, the Englishman also regularly faces hostile reactions from the crowd during matches.

The world number one has been booed particularly at tournaments in the Netherlands and Germany. Littler has previously suggested he may consider skipping certain events if the behaviour continues.

Sheldon understands his frustration. "When he first came on the scene, everyone was bigging him up and it was great, but then you're turning up to tournaments and people are booing him."

The Irishwoman believes some spectators do not fully appreciate how special the current generation of darts players is. "People probably don't know what they're witnessing at the minute. The standard of darts is just crazy.

Sheldon says chanting and singing are part of the sport, but believes supporters must respect certain boundaries. "I think if you are a fan, you should be going there to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, everyone loves singing the songs, but I think there should be just that level of respect for the players when they're playing because at the end of the day, this is their livelihood as well."

She also points out that professional darts is the players’ livelihood. "They want to be trying to perform the best for the fans, and they probably can't do that with all the boos."

Sheldon therefore feels it is a shame that Littler, who she believes has done so much for the popularity of darts, has to deal with such reactions. "It's one of those things he has to deal with, which is kind of sad to see."