LUKE LITTLER’S had an incredible 2024 – and his parents have been with him every step of the way.
Here we take a look at the darts prodigy’s parents Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler as Luke targets the 2024/25 World Darts Championship.
Luke Littler with his parents Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler[/caption]
Who are Luke Littler’s Parents?
Luke Littler‘s parents are Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler.
As well as being his parents, Anthony and Lisa are The Nuke’s biggest fans.
They have supported Luke in his darts career since he was in nappies.
Luke’s parents helped him progress in the sport by giving him access to a “proper” dart board — and taking him to the pub to practice.
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What do Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler do?
Luke’s dad Anthony is a taxi driver from Warrington, Cheshire.
And his mum Lisa is employed at a shop selling scented candles.
Speaking about Luke’s progression in the sport, Buckley told The Times: “He was a good footballer. He loved football. All kids do. But I said to him at nine, hang your boots up.
“Concentrate on darts. You can still play football here and there. But if there’s a darts comp on at the weekends, go to darts first.
“Make that your priority, because I thought he could make it at darts — and he has done.”
“When I said to him, you need to keep playing darts, he was OK with it. We put him in every competition that was online.
“Sometimes you’re getting up at 7am on a Saturday — my only day off — just to play darts. There were no lie-ins.”
What age are Luke Littler’s parents?
At the time of writing, Luke’s dad Anthony is 43 years old.
And his mum Lisa is currently 40 years old.
Her social media is like a shrine to her son’s incredible achievements at the oche.
She was the one who released the brilliant video of 18-month-old Luke giggling and throwing darts at a board while wearing a nappy.
When he first came as a kid you could see he was very special and he just got better and better. Every year he was a bit better than the last.
Karl Holden
Are his parents Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler involved in his Darts career?
In December 2023 footage emerged of Littler as an 18-month-old toddler throwing darts at a magnetic board.
It was bought for him by his dad Anthony Buckley, who was also a casual darts player himself.
Littler’s technique was there for all to see — even as a nappy-wearing youngster.
Just over seven years later he began training at the famous St Helens Darts Shop — which has helped improve professional darts players including Michael Smith, Dave Chisnall and Stephen Bunting.
Luke’s boyhood coach Karl Holden, who trained him at the shop located northeast of Liverpool city centre, revealed he was obliterating his opponents from the age of nine.
He said: “He has been coming here since he was nine. We are all very proud.
“When he first came as a kid you could see he was very special and he just got better and better. Every year he was a bit better than the last.
“We put him up to the U14s when he was nine, but three months after that he was smashing all them to bits.”
He added: “At nine he was good. Before he was 11 he was extremely good.
“He’s a freak of nature, honestly, he really is. I’d say he’s the (Cristiano) Ronaldo of darts.
“He is one of the best players in the world at the age of 16.”
By the age of 11 he was playing against grown men and beating them.
The following year, he came up against Humphries — who he faced in the world championship final, ultimately losing 7-4 — at a competition on Hayling Island.
The meeting came in November 2019 as Humphries, now 28, clinched the victory over Littler.
At the time, Littler posted: “Lost out in quarter-finals last night at Hayling Island competition to Luke Humphries, missed a few chances to go ahead and a bull for a 164 but gave him a great game.”
Discussing his remarkable success with the BBC, Littler said: “By the age of four I got on to the proper board. From 18 months on I have been non-stop.
“When we moved to Warrington when I was eight or nine we started going out to pubs four to five times a week.”
Littler has gained plenty of new supporters since his astonishing rise to fame, but his dad Anthony has always been his No.1 fan.
Responding to a post from Junior Darts Co on social media, Anthony wrote in 2017: “Watch out for 10-year-old Luke Littler this year!”
And Luke’s mum and dad were at Ally Pally supporting his astonishing run in the 2023/24 PDC World Darts Championship.
Speaking after his victory over Campbell, Littler said: “I started crying when I saw my mum in the crowd.
“She was nervous. I saw her with her head in her hands. I said to her: ‘The dream continues.’ She said the same thing.”
Littler is due to compete in the Darts Premier League 2024, having earned his spot in the lineup following his superb run at the World Championships at the start of the year.
