National Numeracy Day: the surprising impact of darts
New research highlights a strong connection between sports and numeracy at school - and we're catching up with the trailblazing referee, Huw Ware
New research out for National Numeracy Day shows parents are spotting a clear link between sport and stronger maths skills.
Three quarters say taking part in football, tennis, cricket and basketball at school is helping kids feel more confident with numbers - but it's the role of darts which is particularly significant.
Huw Ware, Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) referee, and the only LGBT+ player in the sport, has been performing lightning-fast calculations for years, featuring in major darts finals, all while managing large crowds, and engaging with players during critical game moments.
"I'm not a mathematician!"
The first openly gay man in the sport has been catching up with Hits Radio Pride for this National Numeracy Day, and has been explaining how one player in particular has inspired a generation of youngsters.
"Darts has been getting bigger and bigger for the last 20 years, really," Huw said.
"But then Luke Littler came along.
"Probably the biggest impact that Luke's had is with the kids of today.
"When I was a kid growing up, darts wasn't particularly fashionable, it wasn't popular, and nobody else could understand why I love the sport, and what I saw in it - but since then, that opinion's completely changed - and it's all because of Luke Littler."
It's been an illustrious career so far for the man from Barry in South Wales, and that's all thanks to his maths skills.
He's been a darts referee on TV since the age of 17, and was the youngest person to do it, and in 2025, he refereed the second half of the PDC Darts World Championship semi-final between Michael Van Gerwen and Luke Littler, becoming the first openly gay man to referee a world final.
So, how does he do it?
"I'm not a mathematician at all," Huw explained.
"But what I can do is I can count the dart board, and what I found when I was at school, was that my mental arithmetic went from me being at the bottom of the class to right there at the top, and it's all thanks to my love of darts.
"And what I do when I'm on stage is actually use the method of rounding to make my calculations.
"Even in real life, I'll be the one who splits the bill, and I use my dart board maths to do that.
"Maths permeates itself through lots of different sports, but it's clear from research which has come out that it's darts where the most parents believe is the best for helping their children to improve their arithmetic skills - and I would have to agree.
"There's a sense of achievement with darts, too, but most importantly, it's fun."
The stats
According to research conducted for Nodor to coincide with National Numeracy Day on 20th May, sports like football (52%), tennis (44%), cricket (36%), and basketball (36%) continue to be among the most effective activities for developing numeracy skills.
These traditional school sports encourage natural engagement with maths through scoring, positioning, and timing.
However, the findings highlight the impact of precision sports like darts in building children's confidence with numbers.
From making calculations on the pitch in football to working out a checkout in darts, sports are contributing more to children's maths capabilities than often realised.