Referee Huw Ware leading through visibility as only openly gay man in pro darts

Referee Huw Ware holds a unique place in darts and hopes that his visibility as the only openly gay man in the professional game is a boost to the LGBT+ community.

The Welshman came out many years ago, making his sexuality public in 2014, but remains a lone figurehead in the pro game.

Earlier this year Ware became the first openly gay man to officiate a PDC World Darts Championship final, taking charge of the game as Luke Littler became world champion at Alexandra Palace.

That achievement has increased his profile and has further established himself as the face of the LGBT+ community in darts.

As that most prominent figure, he is almost forced into taking up an ambassadorial role, which is something he is more than happy to do.

‘It’s something that I’ve had no choice but to embrace, I guess, when I am at this moment in time, the only openly gay male in professional darts anyway,’ Ware told Metro.

‘So with that, it becomes a responsibility in its own rights. I’ve always felt that the best way that I could lead is just through visibility, because there is a lot to be said for visibility.

‘I’ve never considered myself a leader in LGBT rights or things like this. I take my hat off to those who are because we need those. Those guys who do stand up with their megaphones and on social media and make their speeches. They are my heroes, because I don’t think that I could do that.

‘The best way for me to lead is just through going on the stage and doing my job to the best of my ability and being out and proud. Just being visible in that respect, because there is a lot to be said for doing just that and it’s something that I have had to embrace.

‘I’m very happy to embrace it and I’m very happy to be the face of our LGBT campaigns and things that we do with the PDC. But of course, those campaigns are much more than just about me.’

Ware is delighted to help lead Out On The Oche, a group which is growing around the globe.

‘We’ve formed Out On The Oche, which is the LGBT+ official darts group, I’m so proud that we have that now. It was formed just over 12 months ago and we’ve got over 100 members already, right across Europe and the world. Male, female, transgender and non-binary.

‘We have all aspects of the LGBT+ community within our group who all love darts. And I think there’s something to be said about darts as a sport, that we have all sorts of people represented. It just shows the amount of appeal that darts has to everybody and how much of a leveller darts is as a sport.’

Ware’s visibility is as great as ever thanks to his ever-increasing reputation as an official and a role as global ambassador for darts manufacturer Winmau.

The World Darts Championship is not only the biggest event of the year for his refereeing duties, but he is seriously busy off the oche as well.

‘Since I refereed the World final last year, my life really has changed,’ he said.’When I became a global ambassador for the Winmau company, that has come my own website, my own blog and my own podcast.

‘I’ve been coming off from whichever session that I’ve refereed that day and I’ve spent the rest of the day working on my podcast or other stuff that I’ve done for Winmau. I’ve recorded a daily vlog, I’ve been very busy with lots of Cameo messages.

‘So there’s been a lot more to my job than just refereeing this year, but refereeing is, of course, my priority and nothing gets in the way of that.’

Refereeing and the media doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, but it made sense for the 32-year-old who has a background in sport journalism and a personal affinity with Winmau.

‘When I was growing up, I always wanted to work in sports media and I worked for BBC Radio Wales Sport from 2016 until 2021,’ he explained. ‘When I became a professional dart referee, I had to give that up.

‘It means the world to me to work with Winmau, to be honest, because I used to do summer work experience down there. I lived not far from the factory down in Bridgend.

‘I must have been about 14 or 15 and I was a darts nut, like a darts obsessive. I got a job there just doing summer work experience for a couple of summers. So they’ve known me since I was a kid.

‘Then those same guys, oh my God, 15 years later, are offering me the chance to become a global ambassador for their company. So it was an amazing opportunity. And of course, I said yes, in a heartbeat.’

Huw Ware is an ambassador for the world’s leading darts manufacturer, Winmau, an official partner of the PDC.

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