Edinburgh dad opens darts academy after 'discovering talent for sport in his 30s'
An Edinburgh dad is launching the capital’s first darts academy in the hope of finding the next Luke Littler.
Colin Kirwan, from Haymarket, worked for eight years in military intelligence and now has a career in open source intelligence. He has only played darts for two years but has tasted success in this short span at the amateur level.
The dad-of-two described being an avid footballer but after suffering from a fractured hip three years ago his girlfriend set up a dart board so he could scratch his sporting itch at home. Colin described picking up the sport ‘extremely quickly’ as he sits 17th in Scotland’s amateur darts rankings.
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The 36-year-old, who is originally from Tranmere, noticed how other cities and areas in Scotland had their own darts academies but for whatever reason there was a gap in the Edinburgh market.
This has led to him launching the Edinburgh Youth Darts Association which is due to open at the beginning of March and will cater to eight to 18-year-olds of all abilities. He hopes the academy could in time produce players who are able to take advantage of the new lucrative career which darts offers.
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“I’ve only played darts for just over two years,” Colin said. “I played football the majority of my life at various levels but I fractured my hip and was out of action. My girlfriend became annoyed at me moaning about the house so about three Christmas’s ago she bought me a dart board set up for the flat.
“From there I picked it up really quickly and got to a really good standard. At the moment I’m 17th in the Scottish amateur darts rankings and competing in competitions which are being aired on Pluto TV.
“Through playing in local leagues and tournaments I realised there is no darts academy in Edinburgh despite there being academies in Fife and Glasgow. I took it upon myself to research and found a great space down at Corstorphine Dynamo FC’s hub where the academy will be housed.”
Colin said darts is starting to change perceptions with many seeing the sport as a mere pub game in the past. In recent years however Sky Sports has began to throw serious backing behind darts with the World Championships bringing in massive audiences as well as providing a prize pot of £500,000 for the winner.
“Darts has definitely become more mainstream with Sky Sports backing it,” he continued. “There is a tournament on just about every week. Look at the World Championships where the winner can walk away with £500,000. You are even seeing players paid £6/7,000 to show up for exhibition events.
“There is a real career progression now and it is becoming a lot more attractive as a potential job. Parents take their kids to football and golf academies because they want them to be the next big star and it is becoming the case with darts as well, they can see how lucrative it has become. You had Luke Littler as a teenager making two World Championship finals, winning the most recent.”
Colin said although the sport is growing in stature it is worth remembering it is an extremely fun activity which teaches vital life lessons. He said it is more of a ‘mental sport’ than physical, meaning players often have to learn to use their brain in time sensitive environments.
“Darts is really fun, it becomes addictive just throwing a dart at a board,” he added. “But it also teaches you a lot of vital skills. There is a lot of math involved and we will focus on that element as part of the academy. We will have white boards up so the kids can figure out what they need when coming down from 501 and finishing on a double.
“I’d say it really develops mental resilience under pressure and having the mentality to dig in and back yourself in a self reliant way. Ultimately we want to create a safe space and good environment for young people to come and socialise while developing their skills.
“Kids have a bad reputation in Edinburgh because of the small few who go about in balaclavas on the back of bikes but hopefully we can offer a different opportunity. Once we are up and running we want to see players qualifying to represent Scotland at international, national and regional tournaments. But it will be as much of a social environment as it will be competitive.”
Colin started a TikTok darts channel in April 2024 where he streams tips, tricks and practices to viewers. So far he has amassed over 15,000 followers.
“I’ve had great feedback on my channel with young viewers saying their game has improved a lot since watching,” he said. “I can have around 100 watching at any time when I’m just throwing darts, giving tips and hacks or even ideas to practice. I’m still learning and always taking on new information but now I want to give back.
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“Luke Littler played since he was two-years-old, he has been in an academy all his life and is not as good as he is by just throwing darts at home. He has been developed and coached. Now he is a multi millionaire and World Champion at 18.
“Academies I’ve reached out to have already been amazing with advice and I’ve been looking for any local businesses who may want to sponsor us to help with equipment and upkeep. Darts is becoming a lot more popular and it can only be a good thing for producing more Scottish talent in the sport.”
The academy aims to open at the beginning of March at Corstorphine Dynamos hub at the Gyle Park. It will operate on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6 to 8pm.
To find out more information, you can contact Colin via email here.