Nathan Aspinall demands harsh consequences for darts fans who want to throw players off their game on stage.
3,000 spectators find space per session at the Darts World Championship 2026 in the legendary Alexandra Palace and form a core part of the sport. Fans create a spectacle daily in the iconic venue, but there are also recurring discussions about audience behavior in the form of whistles that disrupt players.
Ahead of his match against Kevin Doets, darts star Nathan Aspinall has now expressed clear criticism of some spectators and demanded tough consequences. “I’ve already said it in my on-stage interviews on the European Tour: Can you please just stop whistling, enjoy the darts, and not behave like complete idiots,” he demanded in the English Sun.
Nathan Aspinall expresses clear criticism of the audience at Ally Pally
The world number 15 further explained the dilemma: “If you sit quietly and say nothing, it continues. If you address it and say something, it also continues. How are you supposed to stop 10,000 people from putting their fingers in their mouths and whistling?”
Aspinall: Fans must “feel the consequences”
While security personnel are already working to identify perpetrators in the audience and remove them from the arena, Aspinall sees the need for fans to “really feel the consequences of their actions” to ensure long-term improvement.
Time and again, this would ultimately influence the outcome of matches, as even small mistakes could lead to a defeat.
As a solution, “The Asp” therefore proposes a drastic step: “I think people who are caught should not only be thrown out but, for example, banned for five years.” Even if it “might take a few years,” Aspinall explained: “I just believe that if you issue bans to people after they’ve been thrown out, something could change.”
Pietreczko also expresses criticism
The Englishman was not the first player to publicly criticize the whistles from the audience this year. German darts star Ricardo Pietreczko had also stated: “Booing is not the problem, but whistling is. Concentration is lacking at the moment, and I believe every player hates that.” In his victory against Dave Chisnall, he repeatedly struggled with the reactions of the English audience.
Pietreczko, however, saw few ways in which the situation could improve. “I believe no one can change the crowd because it just happens,” he concluded, adding: “I can tell the crowd: ‘Don’t whistle!’, but I believe everyone knows that the crowd won’t change.”