Who is Noa-Lynn van Leuven? The transgender darts star who has support from MVG shuts down the myths about her

Noa-Lynn van Leuven will make history by becoming the first transgender player to appear at the PDC World Darts Championship on Tuesday.

The Dutch native competes at the Alexandra Palace having qualified through the Women’s Order of Merit. Born on September 27, 1996, Van Leuven is also a chef at her local restaurant in Heemskerk, a town just outside of Amsterdam. Her passion for the game started by spending time at the local pub watching her parents play. Aged 12, Van Leuven entered tournaments in her home country. However, during the period of transition which began 'about nine or ten years ago' she dropped away from the sport for a spell having lost enjoyment for the game.

The 28-year-old regained enthusiasm for darts and made her PDC Women’s Series debut in 2022, yet opposition to Van Leuven’s participation in those events was strong. In March, Dutch colleagues Anca Zijlstra and Aileen de Graaf stepped out of their national team because they did not want to play alongside a trans woman. Two months later, British star Deta Hedman forfeited a quarter-final match against Van Leuven at the Denmark Open.

She has spoken about both situations and said: “We all remember when my Dutch team-mates pulled out. I got so many hate messages on my socials. Deta Hedman and I were never really close. I respect her opinions, I respect anyone’s opinions. Mine are different to hers.”

Van Leuven struggled in the game during the early years and told Sky: “I was really unhappy with myself, so my darts game wasn’t that good. When you’re not feeling great then nothing in life will be really, really good. I quit darts and then I became a happier version of myself but then I really wanted to start playing darts again. I tried to enjoy life as