Stockport darts ace Nathan Aspinall says 'I'll be off at 45' as he reflects on the modern game
This article and interview is courtesy of SportsBoom
Ahead of the 2025 Premier League finals night at London's O2 Arena, Nathan Aspinall has opened up on how the face of darts is rapidly evolving.
From the dominance of Phil Taylor to the rise of teenage stars like Luke Littler, the 33-year-old says the game has undergone a fundamental shift—both in reputation and competitiveness.
In Aspinall's eyes, darts is no longer just a pub game—it's now a booming sport with global appeal and serious financial rewards.
Since the rise of the Warrington wonderkid, Aspinall believes darts is shedding its image as a pub game and is finally being recognised as a serious sport.
What was once a working man's pastime is now a multimillion-pound industry—led by a teenage world champion and fuelled by a surge in youth participation.
The End of Eras
The two-time major champion believes the dominance once shown by Phil Taylor is unlikely to ever be replicated due to how much the sport has progressed.
"The difference is that the strength in depth now is completely night and day compared to what it was when Phil [Taylor] was my age," he said.
"Compared to even 10 years ago. The calendar is absolutely obscene. For us to take a weekend off, I have to pull out events so I'm losing ranking money or whatever because I just need a few days off."
"And I've done that over the last couple of weeks because I was in a tight position in the Premier League, I really wanted to make the playoffs."
"I play this game to make money as simple as that—to win a big chunk of money? I made the decision to miss a few Euro tours in between the Premier League nights and so far, it's paid dividend."
"I just think it's too busy for people to have such a longevity in the game."
Generational Shift
Taylor famously won his last world title at 53 and retired at 58 after losing to Rob Cross in the final.
Despite being 20 years younger, Aspinall already views himself as a dying breed in the sport.
"People like me that we're early thirties, mid-thirties. I've said I do believe we are the last of a generation."
"Then afterwards it's going to be all these kids coming through who are fearless."
"It will stop being called a pub game and it will finally be called a sport I reckon in about five or six years."
Littler's Rise and Early Exit Theory
Aspinall has previously suggested that, given the amount of money and tournament success Luke Littler has already achieved, he could see the teenager retiring early.
With the possibility of having tens of millions in the bank at such a young age, the Asp doubts whether the hunger to keep travelling and competing will remain.
He also noted Littler's growing presence on social media and YouTube, which are already lucrative avenues and could offer financial stability without the demands of the professional darts circuit.
Setting His Own Exit Date
Given his thoughts on the sport's changing dynamics, does Aspinall have his own retirement plan in place? It turns out he does—complete with a deadline.
"45, and I'm off," he told SportsBoom.com.
"I've said to my partner if that's me, it is 45. If it's earlier than that, and we start making golfers' money and I've got 30 million in the bank—happy days, I'll be off sooner. But I don't think it's going to happen that quick. But yes, 45 is when I'd like to bugger off."
Bar Life and a Ban on Darts
So, what comes next after darts for the Stockport star? A new life overseas—and one where darts will be strictly off the menu.
"Well, ironically, we talked about this the other day. I will hopefully sell my house, get a nice villa somewhere abroad and open up a bar."
When we joked that his bar might pay homage to his darts career, complete with walk-on anthem Mr Brightside on loop, Aspinall made it clear that chapter would be closed.
"Absolutely not. I took it off my Spotify list. That cannot go on in the car.
"No dart board, I'll get a golf simulator instead."
(Nathan Aspinall images by Sandro Halank, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)
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