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Besides the youth tournament of the Dutch Open Darts 2025, he had previously already won a youth title at Lakeside! Defending champion Bradley van der Velden (18) thought the crowd in the main hall in Assen last year was absolutely fantastic, but when asked, he still values his world title in Frimley Green just a bit more. We spoke last week with the talented darts player from Leiderdorp.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Bradley! How are you doing?<\/strong>
\u201cI’m doing well! Of course I\u2019m playing a lot of darts, but during the week I\u2019m also working hard. Since January 1st I have a new job. I work full-time in the warehouse at Keukensale in Leiderdorp. I prepare orders for the installers so they can fit the kitchens. I\u2019m enjoying it so far! I\u2019m not a professional darts player yet, so I\u2019m just putting in 40 hours a week there.\u201d<\/p>\nYou tried to earn a Tour Card at the beginning of January. How did that go?<\/strong>
\u201cIt was a good experience. I played on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and eventually qualified for the Final Stage. That\u2019s very different: the bigger players also compete there. Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t fully show what I\u2019m capable of. You also need a bit of luck with the draw. I want to go back again next year and my ultimate goal is to reach the PDC and earn a Tour Card.\u201d<\/p>\nHow was your 2025 darts year overall, after your Dutch Open Darts victory?<\/strong>
\u201cThe year started very well with that title and it gave me a good feeling. After a weaker start in the youth rankings, I still managed to finish second at the end of the season. That\u2019s why I was also allowed to compete at the WDF Europe Cup Youth in Assen. To be honest, it wasn\u2019t my tournament. Since the new national ranking season started, I\u2019ve been playing both youth and senior events and that\u2019s going well! At the moment I\u2019m ranked first in the under-18 youth ranking and tenth among the seniors.\u201d<\/p>\nYou\u2019re heading back to Assen again soon! Will you try to defend your title?<\/strong>
\u201cThat would be great! I\u2019ll just see what happens. I\u2019ve also registered for the pairs event with Vincent van der Leek and for the open singles tournament. If I lose in the men\u2019s event, I\u2019ll fully focus on the youth tournament. If I can win the youth title again in my final year, that would be fantastic. But reaching finals day in the men\u2019s event would also be great. I\u2019m definitely going back to Assen with a good feeling!\u201d<\/p>\nYou\u2019ve reached the men\u2019s finals day before, right?<\/strong>
\u201cDefinitely \u2014 during the 2024 edition. I lost 4\u20132 to Christian Kist in the last 32. And the year after that I won the youth title, of course. Not even with amazing averages, and I escaped a bit at times. But I was there on the important doubles. And then the average doesn\u2019t always matter.\u201d<\/p>\nWhich was more special: your Dutch Open title or your 2023 Lakeside win?<\/strong>
\u201cThe Dutch Open is of course very special. It also has a bigger crowd than Lakeside. You hear everyone in the hall singing when you\u2019re on stage \u2014 it gives you goosebumps! But Lakeside is about a world title. I had to qualify separately for that and then still win matches at Lakeside itself. I think it\u2019s easier to win the Dutch Open than it is to reach and then win Lakeside.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat are your plans for the rest of this year?<\/strong>
\u201cThis year I want to play the full PDC Challenge Tour. I\u2019ve already played the first weekend in England \u2014 I do that together with Dustin Straver. I pay for that myself. It would also be great to play the Development Tour, but for that I\u2019m still looking for sponsors. I\u2019m also allowed to finish the youth season in the NDB Ranking and I\u2019m playing senior events as well. From September I\u2019ll be playing in the SuperLeague Hoofdklasse with the Goudenregenbar in The Hague, now that I\u2019ve turned 18. Another really nice thing: soon I\u2019ll be making my debut in the MODUS Super Series!<\/p>\nIt\u2019s a busy combination with all the darts and work, but luckily my parents Peter and Anita and my brother Justin are always there for me. I often travel to tournaments together with Justin, and my parents regularly come along to watch \u2014 and sometimes they even throw a few darts themselves!\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/div>Dutch Open Darts 2027 Dates Announced<\/a><\/div><\/i>2 April 2026<\/span><\/div><\/div>The dates for the Dutch Open Darts 2027 have been confirmed. From Thursday, February 25 to Sunday, February 28, 2027, De Bonte Wever will once again host the largest and most enjoyable darts tournament in the world. <\/div> - <\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
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