Darts
Darts Star Danny Noppert Lifts Lid on Friendship with Premier League Football Ace
Danny Noppert reflects on reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final, his growing friendship with Premier League defender Quilindschy Hartman, and his love of football. From attending his first Premier League match to revealing his Manchester United allegiance, the Dutch star talks sporting crossovers, surprise connections, and hopes of catching the attention of icons like Max Verstappen.
Credit: PDC
Dutch darts star Danny Noppert has surged into his first ever Grand Slam of Darts semi-final, and he’s hoping Premier League and Netherlands international Quilindschy Hartman will be able to make the trip to Wolverhampton to cheer him on.
A Premier League First
As part of his Grand Slam preparations, Noppert attended his first ever Premier League match recently, Burnley’s 2–0 home defeat, after being invited by his friend Hartman.
“It was brilliant. It was my first Premier League game,” he told SportsBoom.co.uk.
Inside the Noppert–Hartman Connection
Fresh from his quarter-final victory over German thrower Lukas Wenig, Noppert opened up about his relationship with the Burnley left-back and whether he plans to return the favour with an invite of his own for finals day.
“Yeah, I can do,” Noppert said, when asked if he’ll be inviting Hartman to the event.
“It was nice to be there; he invited me and gave me his shirt.”
“I’d never actually met him in real life, but we’d exchanged a lot of messages on Instagram."
“Maybe he can come and support me."
“I’m sure he’s busy with the Netherlands team though, he’s a brilliant player.”
Hartman has, however, withdrawn from the Netherlands squad due to illness and will miss Monday’s fixture against Lithuania, meaning a night out at the darts likely won’t be part of his recovery plan.
Still, Noppert appreciates the growing crossover between Dutch football and darts.
“I really life football, and they support darts as well. It’s nice to have some contacts between football and darts."
Not Burnley, But United
A proud supporter of his hometown club Heerenveen whose colours appears on his darts shirt, Noppert joked that despite his new friendship with Hartman, he hasn’t been swayed towards Burnley. Instead, his heart belongs to another English side.
“I actually support Manchester United."
“I think I’ll have just got myself a lot of haters,” he joked, after revealing his love for the Manchester giants.
His favourite Dutch footballer also came as little surprise given that allegiance.
“Robin Van Persie, what a striker,” he said when asked to name his standout star.
Still Waiting for Verstappen
We also quizzed Noppert on whether he’s connected with any other major Dutch sporting names, perhaps Virgil van Dijk, or even Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen.
For now, his inbox remains untouched by the country’s biggest icons, but a Grand Slam title could change that very quickly.
“No, not yet,” he answered when asked if he had contact with any other high profile Dutch stars such as Verstappen.
Louis Hobbs is an esteemed authority on all matters sports-related. His wealth of knowledge and experience in sports make him an expert, especially when it comes to darts and snooker, which are his passions. Louis also has a deep affection for US sports, with basketball and American football his favourites.