Sky Sports is one of the top channels in the world of darts, covering everything from World Darts Championships to Premier League Darts.
But other than the darts action, there is another reason to tune into Sky Sports: the crew that covers the events.
Sky Sports has a collection of top darts presenters, from fan favourites like Emma Parton and Jacqui Oatley to former players turned pundits like Mark Webster.
Below is a look at them and interesting facts to know about them.
1. Emma Paton
Emma Paton is a lead Sky Sports Darts presenter. She is famous for covering the Premier League Darts and other competitions, such as the World Darts Championships.
Paton attended Loughborough University for her BSC in Sports and Exercise Science and later got a Diploma in Sports Journalism from St Mary’s University College.
At Loughborough, she competed in the 400-meter track event before an injury ended her athletic career.
Paton began her career at Sky Sports as an online journalist.
She then worked her way up the ranks, holding several roles, such as Team GB news service writer at the Olympics, sports journalist, and sub-editor, before becoming a full-time presenter.
As a presenter, Paton has covered several events for Sky Sports, including WWE and tennis (US Open). She also hosts the Sky Sports football show Transfer Deadline Day.
2. Anna Woolhouse
Anna Woolhouse is a British sports journalist and presenter who is part of the Sky Sports darts team.
She became famous for her 2023 World Darts Champions coverage after leaving many fans impressed with her elegant outfits.
Woolhouse attended Leeds University, graduating with a BA degree in music. She later attained a postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism, setting her up for a career in media.
The British presenter began her career as a radio host before joining Sky Sports in 2012 as an ice hockey show host.
Since then, she has covered several other sports, from netball to ice hockey, Formula 1, boxing, rugby league, cricket, and basketball.
Currently, Woolhouse alternates between covering darts and boxing on Sky Sports.
3. Polly James
Polly James is a Welsh DJ, radio host, and TV presenter. She is a part-time Sky Sports Darts presenter who has captured the attention of many dart fans because of her tattoos.
James has been a sports fan since she was young and even competed in heptathlon and long jump for Wales and GB Juniors. She was also a darts fan before she became a presenter.
The Welsh presenter attended Barry College, where she took a sports course before starting her career in radio as a promotional employee.
She then worked her way up, becoming one of the UK’s most recognized radio hosts and DJs.
James, who currently presents on Radio X, joined the Sky Sports Darts coverage team part-time in 2021. She has covered several events for the network, including the Premier League Darts and World Grand Prix.
4. Stuart Pyke
Stuart Pyke is an English broadcaster and sports journalist famous for his darts coverage on Sky Sports.
He also provides rugby league commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live and writes for the Sunday Express and the Daily Telegraph.
Stuart started his media career by working for local newspapers. He then joined Piccadilly Radio, where he commented on football and rugby league matches.
He then moved to Independent Radio News as a cricket correspondent. In 1998, he moved to Sky Sports News and covered sports news for the North West region.
He then joined the Sky Sports Darts team in 2003 and has since covered several darts events, from Premier League Darts to the US Open and World Matchplay.
5. Abigail Davies
Abigail Davies is a Welsh broadcaster who covers football, darts, and snooker. She is part of the Sky Sports Darts team and recently covered the PDC World Darts Championships in December 2023.
Davies studied sports journalism at Staffordshire University and then gained a master’s degree in Sports Broadcasting from Cardiff Metropolitan University.
She joined Sky Sports in 2018, starting as a production junior before working her way up to a reporter. In addition to Sky Sports, she has worked for other media organizations, such as talkSPORT, BBC, and IMG.
An interesting fact about Davies is that she is an ambassador for BEAT, a charity for eating disorders.
She also has anorexia and recently opened up on how she visited a mental health care facility the day before she was to cover the World Dart Championships.
6. Jacqui Oatley
Jacqui Oatley is a British sports broadcaster who was previously the regular presenter for Sky Sports darts before being replaced by Emma Paton.
However, she is still part of the darts coverage team; she covered the Masters tournament in February 2024.
Oatley attended the University of Leeds, graduating with a degree in German.
Later, she took evening classes for print journalism and radio production before attaining a postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University.
The British broadcaster used to work as a sales and marketing manager while playing amateur football for Chiswick Ladies FC.
However, an injury ended her football career, leading her to switch careers and become a sports journalist.
Her first job in the media industry was as a sports reporter for BBC Radio Leeds.
Since then, she has worked for several other networks, including BBC Radio 5, BBC News, BBC One, ESPN, FOX, and ITV, covering various sports, such as football, rugby league, Moto GP, Golf, and darts.
Oatley is a regular presenter on Sky Sports. When she is not covering darts, she is the lead football commentator for Women’s Super League matches.
7. Mark Webster
Mark Webster is a Welsh darts analyst and commentator for Sky Sports Darts. He is also a former professional darts player.
Webster started playing darts at a young age and is famous for winning the 2008 World Championship tournament. At the time, he played darts part-time while working as a plumber.
After winning the championship, Webster became a full-time professional darts player but did not win any other major tournament.
In 2020, he took a break from playing professionally and has since worked as a pundit and commentator for Sky Sports and ITV.
8. Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle is another former professional darts player on the Sky Sports Darts team. The Englishman did not win any major tournaments, but he was a five-time world championship semi-finalist.
Mardle started playing darts at 11 and used to practice with his father. He made his professional debut in 2003 at the World Championship.
He competed in several darts tournaments, including the World Championship, World Matchplay, Premier League Darts, US Open, UK Open, and International Darts League.
Mardle retired as a darts player in 2012, after which he started a career as a darts pundit and commentator for Sky Sports. He also operates the Wayne Mardle School of Darts, which offers one-on-one dart coaching.
9. Laura Turner
Laura Turner is a professional English darts player who competes in the World Darts Federation. She is also part of the Sky Sports Darts commentary team.
She attended The Open Literature, where she studied English Literature. She then got a job at the recruitment agency Plum Personnel, working her way up to the position of consultant.
Turner made her debut as a darts player in the BDO World Darts Championship in 2019. She joined Sky Sports in 2020 and is a regular analyst and commentator for the channel.
10. Rod Studd
Rod Studd is a British sports journalist who is an analyst and commentator for the Sky Sports Darts team.
Studd began his career in the media at 21, working for Radio Aire Leeds, where he covered football and rugby league matches.
One of the highlights of his radio career was commentating on Leeds United matches during their 1991/92 championship win.
Studd is currently a freelance journalist but has regularly worked for Sky Sports. He initially commented on rugby matches but has been part of the channel’s darts commentary team since 2009.
11. Dan Dawson
Dan Dawson is a British broadcaster and sports journalist. He is currently on the Sky Sports Darts commentary team.
Dawson began his career as a journalist for a local radio station in Birmingham, covering football matches. After he was fired, he started freelancing and landed a darts gig.
Dawson started doing darts gigs on the radio, and before long, he was commentating on the UK Open tournament on ITV. He is one of the top darts pundits and a commentator on Sky Sports.