She broke barriers. Now she’s facing the cold shoulder.
Fallon Sherrock — once the darling of darts fandom, the woman who smashed glass ceilings by becoming the first female to beat a man on the PDC World stage — is speaking her truth. And her words are chilling: she claims that the hatred she faces now doesn’t come from strangers, but from her supposed peers. She says the environment among pro players is toxic, and she’s had enough.
“I even get it with players now,” Sherrock admits in a recent interview. “I genuinely don’t care anymore. I’m at a point where nothing they do or say matters.”
That’s not bravado. It’s the cry of someone forced into a corner. She says the disdain is not just external — not just trolls on social media — but internal, from the very people she’s supposed to compete beside. Echoing her pain, Sherrock confesses that she “feels unwelcome” among her fellow female players, especially during the PDC Women’s Series at Wigan, where she says cold glares and passive aggression replaced applause.
She describes being invalidated on the floor. After a spectacular 148 checkout in a match, Sherrock walked off only to be met by silence — “everyone, except those on my table, cheering,” she recalls bitterly. “If you play well, you should be supported.” But she says that support is a rare commodity in her world now.
Still, she’s not backing down. Despite the heartbreak, Sherrock says her mission is unchanged: she wants to elevate women’s darts and see her son proud. “What me and Lisa [Ashton] have done for the sport — they don’t see it,” she laments. “They don’t care. They are against us.” She says she doesn’t expect gratitude, but at least fairness.
Some voices have rallied to her side. Analysts like Wayne Mardle and Laura Turner believe jealousy is fueling the backlash she receives. They argue the negative energy she faces is rooted in fear — fear of her talent, her influence, her presence. “Put the phone down, get on the board, keep them out of your mind,” Mardle suggests. But for Sherrock, the battle has gone beyond the board. It’s now a war of respect.
So what is she to do? Abandon the stage? Retreat into silence? Not likely. She says she’s been pushed too far to back down: “I could be the best person alive and still get hate — or do everything wrong and still get it.” But with each blow, she says she grows stronger.
In a world where women in sport already fight two battles — one against skill, and one against sexism — Sherrock’s latest revelation is a reminder of how unforgiving the battle for acceptance can be. But if she’s taught us anything, it’s that she refuses to be silenced. Even now, as the hate comes from within, she’s still rising.
