Noa-Lynn van Leuven to become first trans player at Ally Pally after snubbing women's event

Dutch darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven will become the first trans competitor at the at Alexandra Palace.

Van Leuven, 28, made her PDC Women's Series debut in 2022 after transitioning the previous year. She has twice reached the semi-finals of her home tournament, the Dutch Open, losing to eventual champion in the 2024 edition.

She had the opportunity to test herself against the best women in the at the upcoming Women's World Championship at Lakeside. Instead, though, she will take part in the PDC World Championship where the world's best male players are vying for glory.

Only a handful of women have played in the PDC event at Ally Pally over the years. , with both suffering first-round defeats in .

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The PDC changed its rules last year, ensuring no-one could compete at Ally Pally if they had also taken part in the WDF Lakeside World Championships. The WDF event includes men's, women's and juniors events, and competitors who qualify for both have been forced to decide between the two.

Van Leuven booked her place at Ally Pally thanks to her win in the PDC Women's Series event in Leicester on October 19. She beat Greaves 5-3 in the final, having earlier overcome Lisa Ashton and Lorraine Hyde.

Sherrock will join Van Leuven in the World Championship after victory over Suzuki in an event at the same venue the following day. The WDF confirmed both players have turned down their Lakeside invitations in favour of an appearance in North London.

How far will Noa-Lynn van Leuven progress at Ally Pally? Make your predictions in the

Van Leuven is also due to take place in the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, due to her runner-up position on the order of merit in the Women's Series. Women's World Matchplay winner Greaves has also qualified for the tournament, which will feature plenty of big names including reigning world champion Humphries.

In late 2023, Van Leuven spoke about the impact returning to darts has had on her life since she transitioned. “Since the transition it has been three or four years until I started playing darts again," she told the PA news agency. "I was playing darts for nine years and I was missing something in life and then I started playing darts again, I missed the game, I missed the people within darts.

"It is a dream to come true, the years before I transitioned I didn’t even have any dreams. I wasn’t happy. Now I am happy again and I have so much to live for. I really love darts, I love playing it, I love meeting new people and travelling and that is all possible because of darts.”