Team World Championship: Security job is over: Schindler’s role change in darts

Martin Schindler used to have to control the fans who now cheer him on in the big halls. As a security guard, the now 27-year-old was already part of the major darts events in Germany – but by no means in a prominent role.

“I was the door supervisor and, among other things, I looked after emergency exits. I checked VIP areas. There were all sorts of things that you would imagine a security guard to do,” Schindler told the German Press Agency.

“Was like a wall”

Starting this Thursday (7 p.m./DAZN), the Team World Championship will take place in his adopted home of Hesse. Schindler has worked his way up to become a darts professional and the German number one. His nickname “The Wall” is also fitting for the time when he did not inspire people, but kept an eye on them: “I was like a wall in front of the door, so that no one was allowed through the door.”

In the ice rink in Frankfurt am Main, Schindler and his friend Gabriel Clemens want to fulfill a long-held dream. “It would of course be great if we made it to the quarter-finals. Then it would be a good World Cup. If we made it to the finals, it would be a great World Cup,” explained Schindler. Last year, Schindler and Clemens reached the semi-finals of the event, but were then eliminated by the two Scottish veterans Peter Wright and Gary Anderson.

Enthusiasm through European Football Championship should help

Does the event come at the wrong time because Germany is completely engrossed in football fever during the European Championships at home – and has little time for the arrows specialists in the summer? Schindler does not see it that way. He is counting on the enthusiasm in the country where more and more flags in black, red and gold are being seen after Julian Nagelsmann’s successful start to the tournament.

“The Team World Championship is one of the most interesting tournaments there is. I think that we will benefit from the European Championship and that we will not have to make any losses because of the tickets. Of course, we would also like to take advantage of the current wave of euphoria,” said Schindler. The preliminary round against New Zealand and Finland is a must for the German darts duo.

PDC Europe boss Werner von Moltke also has no concerns about the date. “We always play the World Cup of Darts in mid- to late June – including in 2024, Euro or not. I don’t see any problems there,” said von Moltke. In 2014, they started a session earlier to get through before the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. Otherwise, darts tries to be self-sufficient, although there is certainly a large overlap with the football audience. At least: On Thursday and Friday, when the World Cup begins, there are no football games.

Van Gerwen and the egg debate

What the DFB players and Nagelsmann now want to achieve at the European Championships at home is something that Schindler and the German darts players have been planning for years: to make it into the world elite. No professional has yet made it into the top 16 in the rankings, and there has not been a German title at a major. And the international competition keeps throwing poison darts at German professionals.

Before the last World Cup, former world champion Michael van Gerwen openly took issue with Schindler. When asked who Germany’s best player was, van Gerwen named Schindler’s teammate Clemens. “Mighty Mike” added: “Martin Schindler is also a very good player. But he doesn’t have the balls that Gabriel has. Something is missing. He will work on it.”

“We may not be the best at dealing with pressure in different situations. We are still learning. We are a young darts nation. We will all find our own way. I don’t know whether the criticism is always justified,” said the German leader. He does not want to take van Gerwen’s taunts too seriously. “Not everything he does is right,” said Schindler. The Netherlands with van Gerwen is seeded and will only enter the tournament in the round of 16.