Women in Darts: From Locked Out to Headlines
One double stands between Fallon Sherrock and the first win by a woman in the PDC World Championship's history. Alexandra Palace is chanting for the player in pink — and the double goes in.
That night in December 2019 changed darts on the spot, but women had been playing as long as the game existed. Here's the history, the champions, and where the women's game goes from here.
The Early Game
Women's darts grew up exactly where the men's game did: pub and social club leagues, especially across Britain. Women's county teams and national organizations gave it structure through the later decades of the twentieth century.
Participation ran far ahead of recognition, though. Prize money was thin, television time was rare, and the biggest stages belonged almost entirely to men.
The BDO Era and Its Champions
A dedicated women's world championship finally arrived in 2001 under the BDO, and it minted the first household names of the women's game. The defining champions:
- Trina Gulliver — the tournament's first champion and its most decorated, with ten world titles
- Anastasia Dobromyslova — the Russian star whose three world titles broke Gulliver's early dominance
- Lisa Ashton — "The Lancashire Rose," a four-time world champion
- Mikuru Suzuki — the Japanese champion who won back-to-back titles and became a global fan favorite
- Deta Hedman — one of the most prolific winners the women's game has ever seen, across a remarkably long career
The BDO World Championship era gave those players a world stage, even as the sport's money increasingly flowed elsewhere.
The Sherrock Moment
In December 2019, Fallon Sherrock beat Ted Evetts to become the first woman ever to win a match at the PDC World Championship — then knocked out seeded player Mensur Suljović in the next round. The story went global, far past the usual darts audience.
Fans crowned her "Queen of the Palace." Bigger than the nickname, though, was the proof: on the sport's biggest stage, a woman could win in open competition.
The Modern Women's Game
The PDC launched the Women's Series in 2020, a dedicated professional circuit whose top performers earn places at the PDC World Championship. Women can also win full PDC Tour Cards through the open qualifying school, as Lisa Ashton notably did.
The next generation hasn't waited around. Beau Greaves has dominated stretches of the Women's Series with averages that stand comparison with the men's tour, and the field gets deeper every season.
Where Women Compete Today
Women's darts now runs on several fronts at once. The WDF stages a women's world championship, the PDC crowns a Women's World Matchplay champion, and open PDC events are exactly that — open to anyone who qualifies.
By world titles, Trina Gulliver's ten championships still lead the all-time list. For sheer volume of tournament wins across the decades, Deta Hedman's record stands apart.
Why It Matters
Darts tests precision and nerve, not strength, which makes it one of the few major sports where men and women can genuinely compete head-to-head. Every woman winning on an open stage widens the pipeline of girls picking up darts.
- Complete ready-to-play setup with bristle board, cabinet, two dart sets, oche line, and scoreboard
- Cabinet protects the surrounding wall and closes the board away neatly after play
- Quality sisal board suits everyone from first-timers to league players
What's still catching up is opportunity — prize money and televised chances keep growing. The trajectory only points one way.
Watch one Women's Series stream or a televised women's final this season — the standard will make the history feel overdue.