A winning combination: Conah Walker and PDC darts pros inspire Wolverhampton schoolchildren with Bullseye Maths

In an exciting twist on combining sports with education, boxing star Conah Walker joined World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker and European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena to lead a special Bullseye Maths session.

The event, held on Wednesday at WV Active Aldersley, welcomed students from Woden Primary School – part of the Premier League’s Primary Stars project – to dive into numeracy through the PDC’s award-winning Bullseye Maths programme, which promotes engaging, numbers-based games and worksheet activities to make maths fun and accessible.

Bullseye Maths, launched in 2022, has since become an influential tool in using the excitement of professional darts to foster a love for mathematics among primary school pupils. With its interactive approach, the programme merges sporting challenges with educational content, bringing students closer to numeracy in a way that’s enjoyable and relevant.

The young pupils were in for a memorable experience as they not only engaged in Bullseye Maths activities, but also had the unique opportunity to interact with three inspiring athletes.

Walker, preparing for his highly anticipated fight against Lewis Ritson in Birmingham on Saturday 30th November, took time out of his rigorous training schedule to encourage the children and lend his support to the cause.

Known for his passion both in and out of the ring, Walker was thrilled to participate.

“It’s great to be here with the kids today and to see them getting so engaged with maths,” said Walker.

“My own training requires a lot of discipline, focus and even maths – from counting rounds to measuring progress. If they can see maths as part of something they love, that’s a big win,” he continued.

“It was an amazing experience, meeting the darts players and the kids. It’s great to give back and give the kids a bit of inspiration – from darts to boxing – to see what’s possible if you venture away from the normal curriculum. A career in sport can pay well – and if you put your mind to it, you can make it work. Hopefully that message resonated with the kids.”

The Bullseye Maths session also benefited from the presence of darts pros De Decker and Wattimena, who added to the excitement and shared their own insights on the importance of maths in their sport.

Together with Walker, they demonstrated how numeracy and sports intersect, showcasing how the principles learned in school can be applied in real-life scenarios, from calculating scores to measuring distances and training schedules.

“It’s nice to see kids being interested in darts and, hopefully, some talents come out of this as it’s a fun thing to do,” said De Decker, who last month won his first PDC tournament, the World Grand Prix.

“I hope we can inspire them as that’s why we’re here today and I hope that they love the game and will continue playing.”

Wattimena was also keen to express that he wishes there had been similar initiates for him in his juvenile years.

“I think this initiative is great and I hope the kids have really enjoyed being here today,” he said.

“I hope they can learn a lot about maths and also learn how the sport works. I’d have loved to have this as a kid as there wasn’t anything like it when I was young.”

Gary Horsley, Bullseye Maths coordinator, expressed his delight at the turnout and impact of the session.

“Mike and Jermaine were fantastic with the pupils, sharing stories of how maths plays into their professional careers – and having a local sports star like Conah Walker join us was an added bonus,” stated Horsley.

“These children look up to athletes and seeing them apply maths to their careers really brings the lessons to life.”

In continuation, Head of Media at the PDC, Dave Allen, said the initiative was a great way to get kids interested in darts, while also helping them to develop more of an interest in maths.

“We introduced Bullseye Maths about two-and-a-half years ago as a numeracy scheme, where we could help primary school age children to engage with maths and encourage numeracy by using the simple maths around darts – so it’s something we’ve been running with professional players, with them making guest appearances,” said Allen.

“When we come to Wolverhampton, it’s good to have some of the local schools involved, bring them down to learn a bit about maths, but also have some fun playing darts,” he continued.

“All the players have been really supportive of helping to grow this – not just because it could help to encourage the next generation of players, but also help children to engage in a subject they might find difficult at school.”

The event served not only as a unique learning experience but also as a way to inspire young minds, bridging the gap between academic skills and their applications in the sports world.

For more information about Bullseye Maths, to play the interactive Mathlete game, or to access worksheets, visit pdc.tv/maths.