Following a breakthrough year on the European Tour, Martin Schindler is bidding to cap off a memorable campaign by landing his first televised title on home soil at the Machineseeker European Championship.
Schindler will headline a star-studded 32-player field in Dortmund this weekend, as the sport’s biggest names compete for silverware across four days of action from October 24-27.
German number one Schindler will make his homecoming as the number one seed at the Westfalenhalle, having scooped a brace of European Tour titles in 2024.
The diminutive star celebrated his maiden ranking title with International Darts Open success in April, before doubling his title tally with a remarkable victory at last month’s inaugural Swiss Darts Trophy.
“I’m very proud of the year I’ve had on the European Tour,” insisted Schindler - the first German player to win multiple European Tour titles.
“It’s been a good year for me and being the number one [seed] is a great feeling.
“The European Tour has always been a very big step for players; if they handled the European Tour they would perform even better in major tournaments.
“I always put pressure on myself, but I think it’s a good thing for me to have pressure, and because of that pressure I believe I can be the best version of myself.”
Schindler will kick off his campaign against 2022 semi-finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode in Thursday’s penultimate first round tie, as he bids to break new ground in Dortmund.
The 28-year-old is without a win in four previous European Championship appearances, although he represents a very different proposition this time around.
“The support I get in Germany is always great,” admitted Schindler, who will compete alongside his countrymen Gabriel Clemens and Ricardo Pietreczko this weekend.
“Unfortunately I haven’t managed to win a game at the European Championship yet, but I’m really looking forward to playing in front of my home crowd again.
“Dirk is an emotional player, like I am as well. I am expecting him to perform well, but I have to look at myself and play my game.
“You cannot take anything for granted and if I don’t play well, I’m probably going to lose this game.”
Schindler is on the cusp of breaking into the world’s top 20 for the first time in his career, and a strong showing at the Westfalenhalle could parachute him into the top 16.
It marks a stunning turnaround for a player who relinquished his PDC Tour Card less than four years ago, and he credits the birth of his daughter Hailey, in December 2022, for his revival.
“I think I have managed to deal with situations so much better than I have in the past,” claimed Schindler, who began his darting journey as a steward on the PDC European Tour.
“I always used to have trouble playing in front of crowds; four or five years ago I was not myself on the stage, but I figured, what’s the worst that can happen?
“I think I have really matured as a human. I am a father now; I have other responsibilities.
“I have really developed in my life and I’m trying to use the experiences I’ve had in my personal life - especially with my daughter – to help me grow.
“I think the most important thing is to be patient; wait for your chance and always believe in yourself.”
Having already taken German darts to new heights in 2024, Schindler is now eyeing further history, as he aims to become the first player from his homeland to lift a televised PDC ranking title.
“It would be amazing. I can only imagine it right now,” added the former World Cup of Darts semi-finalist.
“I have to keep working hard. Even in the darkest times, you still have to play and keep going.
“There are many songs I listen to that say: ‘never stop believing’ and that is what I have to do.
“Winning this title would be a great achievement, it would be a moment of prestige and I’m going to work really hard to try and lift this trophy come the end of Sunday.”
The Machineseeker European Championship will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland).
2024 Machineseeker European Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday October 24 (1900-2300 CEST, 1800-2200 BST)
First Round x8
Gian van Veen v Ritchie Edhouse
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Ross Smith v Luke Woodhouse
Stephen Bunting v Gary Anderson
Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen v Gabriel Clemens
Martin Schindler v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Dave Chisnall v Michael Smith