A Sport Transformed
Women's darts has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade. What was once a sideshow with minimal funding and next to no television coverage has become one of the most exciting growth areas in professional sport. The PDC's commitment to the women's game, combined with the emergence of generational talents such as Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock, has pushed women's darts into the mainstream consciousness and created genuine pathways for female players to compete at the highest level.
The numbers tell the story. Prize money has risen sharply, television coverage has expanded across Sky Sports and ITV, and attendance figures at women's events continue to climb. The Women's Series, the Women's World Matchplay and guaranteed spots at major televised tournaments have given female players more opportunities than ever before. And the standard of play has risen in lockstep. Averages that would have been exceptional a decade ago are now routine for the top women on the circuit.
This is not a token gesture or a passing trend. Women's darts is here to stay, backed by serious investment, serious talent and a fanbase that grows with every passing season.
Key Players
The women's game is defined by a handful of outstanding players who have raised the bar and brought unprecedented attention to the sport. Here are the five names you need to know.
Beau Greaves
The Dominant ForceThere is no other way to describe Beau Greaves than as the most dominant force in the history of women's darts. The Doncaster thrower has rewritten the record books with a run of form that borders on the absurd. A three-time WDF Women's World Champion, Greaves has also won over 50 PDC Women's Series titles, including a staggering streak of 17 consecutive event wins and over 110 unbeaten matches heading into 2026.
Her game is built on extraordinary scoring power and ice-cold finishing. Greaves regularly posts averages north of 95, figures that would trouble most male professionals on the circuit. She holds a PDC Tour Card, earned through finishing second on the 2025 Development Tour rankings, making her only the second woman after Lisa Ashton to achieve this on merit. At the 2026 PDC World Championship, she pushed 22nd seed Daryl Gurney to a deciding set before narrowly losing 3-2, demonstrating that she belongs on the biggest stages. In February 2026, she became the first woman to hit a nine-darter on the PDC ProTour, pinning double 12 against Mensur Suljovic at Players Championship 6 in Leicester.
Greaves beat Luke Littler in the semi-finals of the 2025 PDC World Youth Championship, becoming the first woman to reach the final of that event. She is still only 22 years old. The ceiling is nowhere in sight.
Fallon Sherrock
The Queen of the PalaceFallon Sherrock changed the landscape of darts forever on 17 December 2019. Stepping onto the Alexandra Palace stage as a qualifier at the PDC World Championship, Sherrock defeated Ted Evetts 3-2 in the first round, becoming the first woman to win a match at the tournament. Two days later, she stunned the world again by beating 11th seed Mensur Suljovic 3-1, sparking a global media frenzy that transcended the sport entirely.
Sherrock became front-page news overnight. Endorsement deals, television appearances and worldwide recognition followed. Her achievement opened the door for women in professional darts and proved beyond any doubt that female players could compete with the men on the biggest stage. She reached the Nordic Darts Masters final in 2021 and the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts, the best result by a woman at a major PDC event at that time.
In August 2023, Sherrock added another milestone by becoming the first woman to hit a televised nine-dart finish, nailing double 12 against Adam Lipscombe during the Modus Super Series. She remains a regular competitor on the PDC Women's Series and reached the 2025 Women's World Matchplay final, where she was narrowly beaten by Lisa Ashton in a deciding-leg thriller.
Lisa Ashton
The Lancashire RoseLisa Ashton is the pioneer of women's darts in the professional era. A four-time BDO Women's World Champion (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018), Ashton made history in 2020 when she became the first woman to earn a PDC Tour Card through Qualifying School, paving the way for others to follow. She competed regularly on the PDC ProTour against male opponents, gaining invaluable experience at the highest level.
In July 2025, Ashton proved that class is permanent by winning the Women's World Matchplay in Blackpool. She defeated back-to-back champion Beau Greaves in the semi-finals before edging out Fallon Sherrock 6-5 in a dramatic final, with Sherrock missing three match darts in the deciding leg. At over 50 years of age, Ashton showed that determination and big-stage experience can trump youth and raw talent. She remains one of the most respected figures in the sport.
Deta Hedman
The Dark DestroyerDeta Hedman's career in darts spans more than four decades, and her influence on the women's game is immeasurable. The Jamaica-born, Bristol-based thrower has won over 240 ranking titles, three WDF World Cup Singles crowns and was crowned WDF Women's World Champion in 2025 at the age of 66, defeating Lerena Rietbergen 4-1 in the final. She was the first woman to beat a male opponent in a televised PDC event, defeating Aaron Turner at the 2005 UK Open.
Hedman received an OBE for her services to darts, recognition not just of her longevity and competitive excellence but of her role as an ambassador for diversity in the sport. She has inspired generations of female players and remains competitive at the highest level of the WDF circuit. Her career is a testament to the fact that darts rewards dedication and skill regardless of age.
Mikuru Suzuki
The MiracleMikuru Suzuki burst onto the world stage in 2019 when she won the BDO Women's World Championship, becoming the first Asian player to lift a steel-tip world title. She retained her crown in 2020, defeating Lisa Ashton in the final. What makes her story even more remarkable is that Suzuki did not pick up a dart until she was 26, working in a department store in Japan before discovering the sport.
Suzuki has won multiple PDC Women's Series events and qualified for the PDC World Championship. Her smooth, technically excellent throwing action and composure under pressure have made her one of the most watchable players in the women's game. She has been instrumental in growing the profile of darts across Asia, particularly in Japan where the sport has a passionate following.
The PDC Women's Series
The PDC Women's Series is the backbone of the professional women's game. Launched in 2021, the circuit has grown rapidly in both stature and prize money. The 2026 season comprises 24 events spread across six weekends of four tournaments each, offering a structured competitive calendar that gives women a clear pathway to the biggest stages in darts.
Each event follows a straightforward knockout format: best of seven legs up to the quarter-finals, then best of nine from the last eight onwards. Entry is open to all female players, with no seedings. This creates genuine unpredictability in the early rounds, although the cream invariably rises to the top.
Prize money has increased significantly. In 2026, each event offers a total prize fund of £15,000, with the winner taking home £2,500. That represents a 50% increase on the 2025 figure of £10,000 per event, a clear signal of the PDC's commitment to growing the women's game.
Performance on the Women's Series Order of Merit determines qualification for major PDC events. The top two players at the end of the season earn places at the Grand Slam of Darts and the PDC World Championship, putting women on the same stage as the biggest names in the sport. This pathway has already produced unforgettable moments, from Sherrock's heroics at Ally Pally to Greaves pushing top-32 players to the wire.
The Women's World Matchplay
The Women's World Matchplay sits alongside the men's event at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, one of the most iconic venues in professional darts. Held annually during the World Matchplay week in July, the tournament gives the top female players a taste of the Blackpool atmosphere that has produced so many legendary moments in the sport's history.
The 2025 edition delivered one of the great finals in women's darts history. Lisa Ashton, having stunned the dominant Beau Greaves in the semi-finals, faced Fallon Sherrock in a match that went the full distance. Sherrock had three darts to win the title in the deciding leg but could not find the double, allowing Ashton to steal in and claim the trophy 6-5. It was edge-of-the-seat drama broadcast live on Sky Sports to a packed Winter Gardens crowd.
The tournament continues to grow in prestige. Prize money has increased year on year, and the exposure of being part of the World Matchplay broadcast gives women's darts valuable prime-time television visibility. For many fans watching at home, these moments are their first introduction to the quality of the women's game.
History and Growth
Women have been competing in organised darts since the formation of the Women's Darts Council in the 1970s. The BDO Women's World Championship, first held in 1974, was for decades the pinnacle of the women's game. Players like Trina Gulliver, who won ten world titles between 2001 and 2011, and Lisa Ashton dominated the BDO era. But prize money was modest, television coverage was limited, and opportunities for women to compete against men were virtually non-existent.
The shift began in earnest when the PDC launched the Women's Series in 2021, creating a dedicated professional circuit for female players. This was not simply about adding a few events to the calendar. It was about building an entire competitive infrastructure: ranking systems, qualification pathways, development opportunities and, crucially, prize money that made it viable for women to pursue darts as a professional career.
Fallon Sherrock's 2019 World Championship victories acted as a catalyst, demonstrating to a global audience that women could compete at the highest level. The media attention generated by those wins was worth more than any marketing campaign could have produced. Suddenly, sponsors were interested. Broadcasters wanted coverage. Young girls picking up darts for the first time had role models to aspire to.
The growth since then has been rapid. The number of women entering PDC events has increased significantly. Averages across the Women's Series have risen as competition sharpens and players dedicate more time to the sport. The gap between the best women and the mid-ranking men continues to narrow, a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
The Future of Women's Darts
The trajectory of women's darts points firmly upwards. Prize money continues to rise, with the PDC increasing Women's Series purses by 50% for the 2026 season. Television coverage is expanding, with Sky Sports and ITV both broadcasting women's events as part of their darts packages. The Women's World Matchplay at Blackpool now receives full broadcast treatment, and women's matches at the Grand Slam and World Championship are among the most-watched sessions at those events.
The PDC has made clear its commitment to growing the women's game. There are discussions around further increasing the number of qualification spots for women at major events, potentially adding more standalone women's tournaments to the calendar, and continuing to raise prize money towards parity with equivalent men's development events.
The talent pipeline is stronger than ever. Beau Greaves, still only 22, is already competing on the main PDC ProTour with a Tour Card and has shown she can trade blows with established male professionals. Behind her, a new generation of young female players is emerging through the Women's Series, inspired by the achievements of Greaves, Sherrock, Ashton and others.
There is also a growing international dimension. Mikuru Suzuki's success has sparked interest in women's darts across Asia. Players from the Netherlands, Germany and Eastern Europe are competing in increasing numbers on the Women's Series. The sport is no longer confined to the traditional darts heartlands of Britain and the Netherlands.
The question is no longer whether women's darts has a future. It is how quickly that future arrives. With the standard of play improving every season, prize money growing, television audiences rising and a generational talent in Beau Greaves leading the charge, the women's game is on the verge of something genuinely special. The best is yet to come.