I launched a Hebburn junior darts hub and its a great to see kids hit their first 180

Brian Stewart, from Hebburn, founded the Junior Darts Hub, based at Jordan’s Bar, on Brighton Parade, back in August 2024 after a group of youngsters expressed an interest in the sport.

Working alongside Kevin Cunningham, the owner of Jordan’s Bar, the pair established a space that allows youngsters from across South Tyneside and the wider North East to get involved in darts.

The Junior Darts Hub started with around eight members; however, in less than six months, it has now grown to around 40 youngsters attending every Sunday afternoon.

Brian has told the Shields Gazette where the idea to launch the hub came from and has given an insight into what those attending can expect.

The 49-year-old said: “I’ve been involved with grassroots football for around 20 years now so when we’d host events, a lot of kids would mention that they’ve been playing darts.

“On the back of that, I thought that it would be something that would be worthwhile exploring so we started with just a few youngsters getting involved and getting them enjoying it.

“It grew from there by word of mouth. We started off with about eight kids turning up and now we have nearly 40 kids coming every week.

“We play competitive leagues with them, do coaching sessions and offer them a variety of fun games and events to get involved in but it is also great for the social and educational side of things - they are learning skills like maths while playing.

“The kids are very forthcoming and we let them do all the marking while we oversee everything but they are in full control of the events.

“A lot of the parents are enjoying being involved and watching their children play darts. We’re now seeing families come from outside of South Tyneside to join in.

“It’s great to see the community come together with the parents and kids all socialising, it is really good to see.”

Brian also highlighted how it feels to see the youngsters enjoying darts, which has seen a huge rise in popularity following the rise of 18-year-old world champion Luke Littler.

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He added: “The Luke Littler effect is in full force to help boost the popularity of darts, we’ve got kids coming down with their Luke Littler darts and tops on.

“It is a massive thing for the game and it is rewarding to see what he has done for the sport.

“When you see the kids hit their first 180 or an over 100 checkout, their reactions create such a great buzz around the place.

“We encourage all of this but we also encourage proper sportsmanship and the kids learn a lot about how to behave and show their opposition respect.

“We are a team of six volunteers running the darts hub and all the money that we make is put back into improving the experience for the kids.

“A massive thanks goes out to Kevin and all the work that he has done because without his support and investment, it wouldn’t be possible to do this.”

The Junior Darts Hub takes place every Sunday afternoon at Hebburn’s Jordan’s Bar between 2pm and 5pm.

It is open to children aged from eight to 18-years-old - entry costs £3 per child, per week.

Jordan’s also offers the chance for members of the public to come along and use their new auto-scoring darts boards outside of the Junior Darts Hub - with prices at £10 per hour.

You can find out more details about darts at Jordan’s by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/freehirefunctionroom.co.uk.