The “Luke Littler Effect” leads singletons to hit the bullseye on love this February

• More than half of hopeful romantics see darts as an ideal activity to try on a first date, following the sport gaining millions of new fans in recent months 
• Darts has overtaken conventional dating activities like attending live performances or exploring a museum, after wonderkid Luke ‘the nuke’ reached the final of the PDC World Darts Championship last month 
• New research around dating behaviours undertaken by Sky Sports reveals new dating dynamics, potential pitfalls in dating etiquette and more! 

Singles, grab your arrows! People are dart-ing into romance this month, all thanks to the recent "Luke Littler effect", with 53% of individuals eager to take on their date at a game of darts for a fun, first-date activity. 

A new survey by Sky Sports has unveiled how this “effect” is shaking up the dating scene and how a game of darts could help singles hit the target on their next connection. Activity-based dates soared past more traditional date options, with almost half (48%) of participants favouring activities, such as mini-golf and the arrows, over more conventional activity choices like attending live performances, exploring museums or taking a class together. 

Singles also confirmed that a shared interest in sport would help when finding their perfect match, with a whopping 73% of respondents saying this could be a strong foundation for a romantic connection. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that 4 in 10 confessed they would practice an activity beforehand if it was planned for a first date, in the hope of making a solid first impression! 

The survey also identified potential pitfalls in dating etiquette that singles should avoid when aiming to impress their date. Being overly critical or judgmental about the chosen activity (52%), constantly checking the time or appearing distracted (52%), and poor sportsmanship (46%) emerged as the top deal-breakers among participants for activity-based first dates. 

As the dating scene transforms faster than Luke Littler hitting 501, it's clear that singles are on the hunt for fun experiences to help build a connection with potential partners. It seems like "playing games" might just be the secret to finding a perfect match. 

Speaking about the research, Helen Falkus, Sky Sports Director of Multi Sports, said: “There is something truly epic about how sport brings people together, making it no surprise that sharing a game or cheering on your team is seen as the perfect foundation for a relationship. I am super excited to see the younger crowd getting hooked on darts as we gear up for the entertainment of Premier League Darts on Sky Sports from 1 February. It's going to be a wild ride!" 

Fans can enjoy watching Luke ‘the nuke’ Littler on screens every week starting this Thursday (1 February), with the 2024 BetMGM Premier League Darts getting underway, exclusively live on Sky Sports. Eight of the sport's top stars including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross, and Peter Wright will take each other on during the season 17-week season, with each league night comprising quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final over the best of 11 legs. 

For those wanting to see the opening night showdown and join in with darts fever but don’t have Sky, a Sky Sports Day Membership is available from just £11.99, giving instant access to all Sky Sports channels.

NOTES TO EDITORS

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How to watch 2024 BetMGM Premier League

Every match of the 2024 BetMGM Premier League will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports and NOW from 1st February. 

Sky Sports is the home of darts with over 60 days of exclusively live coverage from the biggest tournaments every year including the World Darts Championship plus the Premier League, World Matchplay, Grand Slam of Darts, World Grand Prix, and World Cup of Darts. 

On NOW, Day and Month members can watch live darts matches every Thursday from 1st February for 17 weeks via Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Mix channels. 

About the survey

This online survey of 2000 UK adults (nationally representative) was commissioned by Sky Sports and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data was collected between 23/01/2024 and 26/01/2014. This survey was overseen and edited by the OnePoll research team, who are members of the MRS, British Polling counsel and have corporate membership to ESOMAR.