Charlie Manby, the 20-year-old rising star who broke through at Alexandra Palace last December, has signed a multi-year deal with Target Darts and secured his PDC Tour Card, marking a pivotal step in his professional career. In an interview with the DartsNews Podcast and DartsNews.com, Manby reflected on a whirlwind period that also includes the recent announcement that he is set to become a father, stating, "Yeah, it's been good, everything's just dropping into place quite nicely, and yeah I'm looking forward to the journey and everything." He added that his partner will support him "all the way as well."
Having come through the same England youth pathway as Luke Littler, Manby addressed comparisons to the sport's explosive recent rise. "I'll never — no one will ever do the same as what he's done — but yeah, I definitely want to get to where he is obviously and you know pick up all the majors like he's done and climb up the rankings and get in the Premier League, stuff like that," Manby said. "So yeah, definitely somewhat similar to what I want to do, but you know it's never going to be the same." His own trajectory includes a record-breaking 130.70 average on the Development Tour and a run to the fourth round on debut at the 2025 to 2026 PDC World Darts Championship.
With his Tour Card secured, Manby outlined a measured approach for his first full PDC season. "I just want to take it one step at a time, one game at a time, and yeah, just qualify for all the majors first. Then, hopefully, start winning games and winning them," he explained. His specific targets include qualifying for Euro Tours and majors, climbing the rankings, and gaining experience. "I just want to see how it goes, and keep pushing on, gain experience for the first year. A few more TV tournaments and Euro Tours would be good, yeah." He also expressed a particular desire to play at the Matchplay in Blackpool, having attended as a spectator for the past three or four years.
Target Darts confirmed the multi-year agreement as part of their latest intake of emerging talent. In the official announcement, Manby said, "Signing with Target is a massive step for me in my career. I've worked hard to get to this point, and I'm excited to be joining some amazing players. Now it's about kicking on and making the most of the opportunity. I'm buzzing to get started and see how far I can go." Target's Group CEO James Tattersall added, "Charlie is an exceptional talent and one of the most exciting young players in the sport. His humility, work ethic and ambition match what we want to achieve at Target. We're honoured to share his journey and support him with the world's best equipment to take his game to another level. He showed during the World Championships that he has superstar potential - we can't wait to see what he'll go on to achieve."
