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Noa-Lynn van Leuven

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In this Dutch name, the surname is van Leuven, not Leuven.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven
van Leuven at the 2025 World Championship
Personal information
NicknameThe Duchess
Born (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28)[1]
Beverwijk, Netherlands
Home townHeemskerk, Netherlands
Darts information
Darts24g Cosmo
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Euphoria" by Loreen
Organisation (see split in darts)
PDC2022–
WDF2022–2024
Current world ranking(WDF W) 105 Decrease 5 (9 July 2025)[2]
WDF major events – best performances
World MastersLast 32: 2022
Dutch OpenSemi Final: 2023, 2024
PDC premier events – best performances
World ChampionshipLast 96: 2025
Grand SlamGroup Stage: 2024
Other tournament wins
Belgium Open 2023
Denmark Open 2023
Malta Masters 2023
Malta Open 2023
PDC Challenge Tour 2024
PDC Women's Series (x6) 2024 (x4)
2025 (x2)
Medal record
Women's Darts
Representing  Netherlands
WDF Europe Cup
Gold medal – first place 2024 Šamorín Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2024 Šamorín Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2024 Šamorín Women's overall
Silver medal – second place 2022 Gandía Women's team
Silver medal – second place 2024 Šamorín Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Gandía Women's overall

Noa-Lynn van Leuven (born 27 September 1996) is a Dutch darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. She was the first openly transgender person to compete in a televised darts tournament and the first to play at the PDC World Darts Championship, making her debut at the 2025 event. Van Leuven has won six titles on the PDC Women's Series, as well as a title on the 2024 PDC Challenge Tour. She formerly competed in World Darts Federation (WDF) events, where she was a two-time Dutch Open semi-finalist.

Early life

Van Leuven began considering transitioning around the age of 16.[3] She told the PA news agency that she had suffered depression beforehand, and that she "wouldn't be here" if not for her transition. Van Leuven had played darts for nine years before her transition, though she stopped for several years.[4] She works as a chef de partie.[5]

Career

2022

Having passed stringent transitioning tests to play in women's darts,[4] van Leuven made her debut at the 2022 PDC Women's Series.[6]

Van Leuven reached the quarter-finals of both events 13 and 14 of the Women's Series, losing to Beau Greaves 4–2 and Laura Turner 4–3 respectively.

2023

At the 2023 Dutch Open, van Leuven entered the event as the 15th seed and reached the semi-finals. In the last 64 she whitewashed Jacqueline Geel 3–0 then defeated Evelien van Tol 4–1 in the last 32 before winning against Deta Hedman and Lorraine Hyde 4–3 in deciding legs. Van Leuven was whitewashed by eventual winner Aileen de Graaf 4–0 in the semi-finals.[7][8]

Van Leuven played at the 2023 PDC Women's Series. She qualified for the 2023 Women's World Matchplay by finishing 8th in the Women's Matchplay Race. She did this by reaching the final of event twelve of the Women's series, where she was whitewashed 5–0 by Beau Greaves,[9] to leapfrog 2022 Women's World Matchplay semi-finalist Lorraine Winstanley.[10]

She played against Beau Greaves in the first round of the Women's World Matchplay, becoming the first trans woman to play in a televised PDC tournament.[11] She was whitewashed 4–0 by Greaves.

2024

Van Leuven entered the 2024 Dutch Open as the 4th seed and reached the semi-finals again. She whitewashed Jaleesa Zegel 3–0, then defeated Kelly Streef, Tori Kewish and Kirsty Hutchinson each 4–1. Van Leuven lost in the semi-finals to the eventual winner, Women's number one Beau Greaves.[12]

Van Leuven played at the 2024 PDC Challenge Tour series, winning on her debut at event six.[13][14][15][16]

Van Leuven played at the 2024 PDC Women's Series. She reached the quarter-finals at the first event, losing there to reigning WDF Women's World Champion Beau Greaves 5–2.[17] At the second event, van Leuven won a Women's series tournament for the first time. She whitewashed Roos Van der Velde, Anca Zijlstra and Hannah Meek each 4–0 in legs. Van Leuven then defeated Marie Fitton 4–2 in the last 16. Van Leuven achieved 5–3 victories over Beau Greaves and Fallon Sherrock in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively before she triumphed over Katie Sheldon 5–2 in the final.[18][19][20] This victory meant van Leuven had won both a women's tournament and a mixed gender tournament in the same week.[3]

At event three of the Women's Series, van Leuven reached the quarter-finals again, winning against Eve Watson 4–3, whitewashing Snezana Veljkovic 4–0, defeating Chris Savvery 4–1 and beating Steph Clarke 4–2 before losing 5–4 to Lorraine Hyde.[21][22][23]

At event four van Leuven defeated Casey Gallagher 4–1 and then whitewashed Angela Kirkwood and Carly Townsend 4–0 before losing 4–1 to Fallon Sherrock.[21][24][25]

Van Leuven won Women's Series 21, defeating women's number one Beau Greaves 5–3 in the final, setting the record Women's Series average with 109.64. This result qualified her for the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, making her the first trans woman to appear at the Alexandra Palace.[26][27] She also became the first trans woman to play at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts having finished second on the 2024 PDC Women's Series Order of Merit.[28][29] However, she was eliminated in the group stages.

2025

At the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, she lost 3–1 in sets to Kevin Doets.[30][31]

After failing to gain a PDC Tour Card at the European Qualifying School, van Leuven took a break from the sport for mental health reasons.[32] She returned for the 2025 PDC Women's Series.

After a slow start into the season, van Leuven won back-to-back women's series titles in Rosmalen in April. She whitewashed Stefanie Lück 5–0 in the final of event 9 and defeated Rhian O'Sullivan 5–1 in the final of event 10.[33]

Public debate

Van Leuven has sparked controversy for her participation in women's darts events as a trans woman, as well as qualifying for televised mixed-gender events through the PDC Women's Series. Former Dutch national team teammates Anca Zijlstra and Aileen de Graaf resigned in protest of her inclusion.[34] Deta Hedman – who has previously refused to play Van Leuven at World Darts Federation events[35][36] – has been outspoken in her opposition, citing the potential biological advantages transitioned players may have over other female competitors.[34]

Professional Darts Corporation chief executive Matt Porter has defended the organisation's policy on transgender players in response to Van Leuven's participation in televised PDC events, telling Sky Sports: "Ultimately, we came up with a policy that we believe to be fair. We respect the fact that not everybody agrees with that and we accept that it's not a unanimously accepted position. However, it's a position that we've adopted and that we believe is fair."[36] Following the 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling that defined the use of the terms man, woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 as in reference to biological sex, Porter reiterated his stance on the matter and dismissed any plans to change the PDC's policy on transgender players.[37]

Van Leuven has received support from world champions Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen. Ahead of Van Leuven's debut at the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, Humphries expressed sympathy for her situation and stated she was not breaking any rules by competing.[38] Van Gerwen, who played Van Leuven at said event, exclaimed: "She can play damn good darts. Let her!"[34]

World Championship results

PDC

Performance timeline

Tournament 2022 2023 2024 2025
PDC Ranked televised events
World Championship DNQ 1R
Grand Slam DNQ RR
PDC Non-ranked televised events
Women's World Matchplay DNQ QF QF
WDF Ranked televised events
World Masters 3R NH DNP
Dutch Open DNP SF SF DNP
Career statistics
Season-end ranking (PDC) – – 130

PDC Players Championships

Season 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
2024[nb 1] Did not participate HIL
1R 		HIL
1R 		HIL
1R 		HIL
1R 		Did not participate
  1. ^ Not a Tour card holder
Performance Table Legend
W Won the tournament F Finalist SF Semifinalist QF Quarterfinalist #R
RR
L# 		Lost in # round
Round-robin
Last # stage 		DQ Disqualified
DNQ Did not qualify DNP Did not participate WD Withdrew NH Tournament not held NYF Not yet founded

References

  1. ^ "Noa-Lynn van Leuven". Mastercaller. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  2. ^ "WDF Women's Rankings Table". WDF. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Jeremy (24 March 2024). "Transgender darts player wins women's and men's tournaments in same week". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b Veal, Jonathan (29 November 2023). "Darts helping Noa-Lynn van Leuven to dream again after transition". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  5. ^ Mirza, Raz (21 July 2023). "Women's World Matchplay: Noa-Lynn van Leuven set to be first trans woman to play in a TV darts tournament". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  6. ^ Veal, Jonathan (29 November 2023). "Darts helping Noa-Lynn van Leuven to dream again after transition". The Independent. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Dutch Open 2023 | Women' Singles". DartConnect. Archived from the original on 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  8. ^ "Dutch Open Women 2023". World Darts Federation. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  9. ^ Gorton, Josh (25 June 2023). "Double delight for record-breaking Beau in Hildesheim". PDC. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ Gorton, Josh (26 June 2023). "Women's World Matchplay field confirmed". PDC.tv. Professional Darts Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  11. ^ Liew, Jonathan (14 July 2023). "Noa-Lynn van Leuven: 'I think darts is helping me to be the best of myself'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  12. ^ Gill, Samuel (4 February 2024). "Beau Greaves gains rampant revenge against Aileen de Graaf, reclaims Dutch Open Darts title". Darts News. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  13. ^ Gorton, Josh (15 March 2024). "Van Leuven & Eidams celebrate maiden Challenge Tour titles in Hildesheim". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Noa-Lynn van Leuven becomes first woman to win darts Challenger Tour event on sensational debut". Sky Sports. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  15. ^ "PDC Challenge Tour 06". DartConnect TV. 15 March 2024. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  16. ^ Gill, Samuel (15 March 2024). "Noa-Lynn van Leuven makes history and becomes first trans woman to win a Challenge Tour tournament". Darts News. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  17. ^ "PDC Women's Series - Event 01". 23 March 2024. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  18. ^ Gorton, Josh (23 March 2024). "Sherrock and Van Leuven triumph As 2024 PDC Womens Series Season Begins". PDC. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Fallon Sherrock and Noa-Lynn Van Leuven victorious as PDC Women's Series begins". Sky Sports. 23 March 2024. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  20. ^ "PDC Women's Series: Fallon Sherrock beats Beau Greaves & Noa-Lynn van Leuven wins". BBC Sport. 23 March 2024. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  21. ^ a b Phillips, Josh (24 March 2024). "Sherrock & Suzuki claim titles at Women's Series Events 3-4". PDC. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  22. ^ Wood, Kieran (24 March 2024). "Mikuru Suzuki captures her fifth title at PDC Women's Series". Darts News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  23. ^ "PDC Women's Series - Event 03". DartConnect. 24 March 2024. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Fallon Sherrock wins second title of the weekend in PDC Women's Series". Sky Sports. 24 March 2024. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  25. ^ "PDC Women's Series - Event 04". DartConnect. 24 March 2024. Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  26. ^ "World Darts Championship: Noa-Lynn van Leuven beats Beau Greaves to qualify for Alexandra Palace". Sky Sports. 19 October 2024. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  27. ^ "PDC Women's Series: Van Leuven seals Ally Pally spot as Greaves claims eighth 2024 title". PDC. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Fallon Sherrock qualifies for World Darts Championship but misses out on Grand Slam of Darts spot". Sky Sports. 20 October 2024. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  29. ^ Gorton, Josh (20 October 2024). "Sherrock secures Ally Pally return; Van Leuven confirms Grand Slam debut". PDC. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  30. ^ Alderman, Elgan (17 December 2024). "Noa-Lynn van Leuven: trans darts player out of World Championship". The Times. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  31. ^ "Noa-Lynn van Leuven, 1st transgender player at World Darts champs, out in Round 1". ESPN. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  32. ^ "Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Transgender darts player announces 'step back' from sport for mental health reasons". Sky Sports. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  33. ^ "Women's Series Darts: Noa-Lynn Van Leuven secures back-to-back titles". Sky Sports. 12 April 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  34. ^ a b c Sten-Ziemons, Andreas; Hotakie, Alima (17 December 2024). "Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Against all odds at Ally Pally". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  35. ^ Shaw, Jamie (4 May 2024). "Deta Hedman forfeits match against Noa-Lynn van Leuven at the Denmark Open in transgender protest". Live Darts. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  36. ^ a b Stafford, Ali (6 November 2024). "Noa-Lynn van Leuven: PDC chief executive Matt Porter explains 'fair' policy on transgender players ahead of Grand Slam of Darts". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  37. ^ "Gender policy in sport: What are the rules in football, cricket, boxing, netball and others after Supreme Court ruling?". Sky Sports. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  38. ^ Veal, Jonathan (8 November 2024). "Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven backed by Luke Humphries: 'She's not broken any rules'". The Independent. Press Association. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
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