Victoria Monaghan competes at the 2023 women's world champs in England.
History-making transgender New Zealand darts player Victoria Monaghan says her career has been left in tatters after the World Darts Federation introduced new eligibility rules preventing transgender women from competing in female tournaments.
The federation (WDF), which governs the amateur side of the sport, voted last month to restrict women’s and girls’ ranking events to players “recorded female at birth”. Transgender women must instead compete in the reclassified Open category, previously the men’s division.
The WDF said the change was to ensure “equal opportunity”, a justification Monaghan disputes, given darts is not a sport where physical strength offers a competitive advantage, but one that relies on strong hand-eye co-ordination.
Monaghan became the first transgender woman to compete at the WDF World Darts Championship in 2023, after winning the New Zealand Open the year before.
She had hoped to return again to make amends after losing in the first round but, speaking to the Herald, Monaghan has all but given up on that dream.
“I’m devastated because they had a set of rules in place and made us jump through so many hoops,” Monaghan said.
“I think the avenue is slammed shut after giving 40-plus years of my life to darts.
“There’s no goal in sight any more. No drive, no passion, which is sad, because I never thought I was that bad a dart player.”
The Herald understands the New Zealand Darts Council was one of the few federations to vote against the changes, while many others abstained.
The rule change stems from the WDF’s relationship with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which recently devolved decisions on transgender participation to individual sporting bodies. Although the WDF is not directly IOC-recognised, it is seeking Olympic status for darts.
Monaghan, once a nationally ranked men’s player, quit in 2018 but returned in 2021 after her transition. Despite meeting the WDF’s previous transgender requirements, she often faced resistance entering events.
“When I first came back, I had all the paperwork, every test, everything they asked for. Yet there were still challenges just to get to the board and compete,” Monaghan said.
“Higher organisations, governments, even the Governor-General of New Zealand, accept me and my gender. And now suddenly, sport doesn’t.”
While the WDF has closed the door, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), which runs the professional circuit including the recent NZ Darts Masters, won by Luke Littler, continues to allow mixed-gender competition, apart from its Women’s Series and Women’s Matchplay.
Dutch player Noa-Lynn van Leuven, another transgender woman competing under the PDC, described the WDF’s stance as a “loss for the trans community in sport”.
DartPlayers New Zealand, the local PDC affiliate, also operates mixed events. Monaghan praised its inclusivity but noted the limited calendar and travel costs make it difficult to sustain.
Not all players share her view. Dutch star Aileen de Graaf withdrew from representing her country earlier this year, saying she did not want to compete against van Leuven, and argued transgender players enjoy advantages in hand-eye co-ordination, concentration, and physique.
Monaghan rejected those claims.
“Menopausal women, perimenopausal women, prepubescent girls, and pregnant women all don’t menstruate, and you can take tablets to delay cycles,” Monaghan said. “That argument doesn’t stand.”
She added that transgender players were not consulted before the decision and believes tighter regulations would have been a fairer solution.
“If they tightened the rules properly, it would stop the idea that anyone could exploit the system,” Monaghan said.
“It’s not like a man with a beard can just put on a dress, say he identifies as a woman, and enter. Michael van Gerwen isn’t going to turn up as ‘Michelle van Gerwen’ to play for half the prize money.
“Somebody asked me, ‘Why don’t you just go and play in the men’s?’ and I said, ‘I’ll go and play in the men’s when all the other women do as well.’ That’s essentially what they’re asking. It’s very sad.”
Monaghan admits she does not know what the future holds for her in the sport but says the rule change has set transgender rights back half a century.
Even so, she looks back on her achievements with pride, though she wishes she had the chance to play on the world stage again.
“We broke down a lot of barriers and proved a point. If we were that dominant, we’d be winning everything, and we’re not.
“It was one tournament, with a lot of demons to battle just to get there.”
She said most players and fans had been hugely supportive, but the scrutiny was relentless.
“The fans made me feel like a superstar, which was amazing. But it was always going to be a lose-lose situation.
“If I won, it was because I was trans; if I lost, it was because I was trans. The pressure was too much.”
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.