Dimitri Van den Bergh prepared for the Cazoo Premier League night night in Sheffield by starring in the latest Bullseye Maths session at a local school on Wednesday afternoon.
Belgian star Van den Bergh will be one of eight top Professional Darts Corporation stars taking to the stage at the Utilita Arena on Thursday night as the Premier League roadshow returns to Sheffield.
Ahead of his participation in that event, Van den Bergh joined 25 pupils from Oasis Academy Don Valley in Sheffield for the latest Bullseye Maths session.
Bullseye Maths was introduced in 2022 by the PDC as a fun and inclusive way to promote numeracy, and has featured a range of in-school sessions alongside an online Bullseye Maths portal.
Van den Bergh took part in a range of practical and theory exercises in the latest Bullseye Maths session, following recent visits by Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall to schools in Leeds and Rochdale.
"It was wonderful to experience Bullseye Maths for the first time in person and I really enjoyed meeting the pupils at Oasis Academy Don Valley," said Van den Bergh.
"I'm a big supporter of getting children involved with darts and Bullseye Maths is a fun way for them to learn about the numbers involved in the game."
Robert Barr from Oasis Academy Don Valley said: "The children had a fantastic time experiencing maths learning in a unique and fun way, whilst giving their calculations a context and purpose.
"A number of the children had never thrown a dart before, but I was soon inundated with dartboard requests, which sums up how much they enjoyed it. A big thank you too all involved."
Bullseye Maths sessions are run by Gary Horsley from Nottingham College's Room 180 Academy, who said: "This was another cracking session.
"Dimitri was fantastic and all of the kids enjoyed the session. Seeing them getting involved with the maths exercises and darts-playing elements was brilliant and it was one of the best sessions we've held.
"Whilst the in-school sessions have proven really popular, the worksheets and interactive game in our online portal also give everyone a chance to experience Bullseye Maths for themselves."
The PDC's online Bullseye Maths portal includes an interactive game, provided by GoDartsPro, and downloadable worksheets to allow all people interested in numeracy to take part in darts-based exercises.
Further Bullseye Maths sessions will be held throughout 2023, and further information can be seen in the online portal at pdc.tv/maths.
Bullseye Maths was introduced in 2022 as a fun and inclusive way to promote numeracy, after studies found that numeracy levels amongst children had been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the scheme supported by numeracy charity Maths One Toast.