The Luke Littler Effect: How Sheffield memorabilia company have tapped into darts phenomenon

The fact he’s from over the other side of the Pennines in Warrington is something we’ll forgive him for, but that hasn’t stopped a company in Sheffield grabbing onto the coat tails of Luke Littler and being taken along for the ride.

The Fan Cave Memorabilia shop in Meadowhall is a veritable feast of sporting nostalgia celebrating everything from football World Cup winners to Formula One world champions, but their latest client is arguably the hottest ticket in town.

Last weekend, at the tender age of 17, Littler became the youngest ever winner of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London.

He did so with the Fan Cave emblazoned on the back of his shirt, an exclusive sponsorship agreement with the Sheffield company that also looks after the sporting phenomenon’s merchandising and memorabilia.

Dan Hoyland launched Fan Cave from ‘very humble’ surroundings as he puts it, in 2017, with his Meadowhall shop opening two years later.

They tapped into the interest surrounding Ronnie O’Sullivan’s quest for a seventh World Snooker title in the city in 2022 by opening up a shop in the town centre of the Rocket’s merchandise and memorabilia, and it was a relationship that paved the way for a similar alliance with Littler.

“We did a memorabilia signing with Luke in April,” begins Hoyland.

“Every company was wanting to work with Luke after last year, we’ve got a good relationship with his manager and the relationship just grew from there.

“Because we’ve done this before with Ronnie, we could draw similarities with the two in terms of their popularity. So we worked with Luke on his memorabilia and agreed to be on the back of his shirt, and it’s all been great for the Fan Cave.

“We also launched the Luke Littler (online) shop at the start of the world championship. When he was winning it went great. All his products are on there, he’s so popular and it’s been a chaotic week for us.”

Hoyland is also finding Littler to be a very humble young sportsman to work with.

“The best bit about it is he’s an unbelievably good lad, he can’t do enough for you,” said Sheffield-born Hoyland. “When we met him we had to tell him to stop helping, he’s just a really good kid.

“It’s hard to ever know how big they’re going to be. We’ve had the luxury of doing this for Ronnie when he won his seventh world title and it feels a bit like that, it feels like a moment in history.

“We knew what to expect but it still surprises you, not least because for a 17-year-old boy to be this popular and this successful so early on is very rare.”

Has Luke become bigger than Ronnie?

“I wouldn’t say it eclipses Ronnie,” said Hoyland, whose Fan Cave brand will be on the back of Littler’s shirts throughout his year as world champion.

“But when Ronnie won the seventh world title it’s the closest thing we’ve had to that in years.

“Being involved with the most searched teenager in the UK can only do good things for the brand and the memorabilia industry as a whole. Having someone like this emerge is a new line of products and great for the industry.

“The interest in darts memorabilia has now shot up. In the past it was just Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen, but now there’s interest in a lot more players.

“It’s the Luke Littler Effect – and we’ve got a t-shirt for that as well.”