The Dart Side of Life - The Adrian Geiler Column #1

Darts is my great sporting passion – and now I get to live it in a very special way as a brand ambassador for BULL’S. From now on, you’ll regularly find my column on the BULL’S website – filled with stories, insights, and plenty of passion for the sport.

Hello dear darts friends,

If someone had told me a few years ago: “Adrian, one day you’ll be a brand ambassador for Germany’s biggest darts manufacturer and have your own column on their website,” — I would have told them they were crazy.
But that day has come, and I’m proud as hell.

Darts has completely taken over my life. I’d even go further: Darts is the sporting love of my life.

I’ve always been passionate about sports. Since the mid-2000s, darts came into my life regularly, though not intensely. I saw Adrian Lewis rise and fall, had Roland Scholten’s “Drück” and Shorty Seyler’s “Drei Frische” echoing in my ears. In 2014, I started live-texting the Darts World Championship for SPORT1.de (like Max Hopp’s win over Mervyn King with that 161 finish and Gary Anderson’s first world title).
On a recommendation from Elmar Paulke, whom I had met while working as an editor at SPORT1.fm, I commentated on a darts match for the first time on SPORT1+ during the World Grand Prix in 2014. In 2016, I was set to do the same for DAZN, but a scheduling change brought Elmar Paulke and Roland Scholten back – and of course, they took priority.

After that, darts and I lost touch. The World Championship remained a Christmas TV staple, but as a full-time radio editor at Amazon focused on the Bundesliga, my attention was elsewhere.
Until I returned to freelancing and rejoined DAZN — just as DAZN had acquired the rights to the European Tour and needed commentators. Again, Elmar Paulke and his stand-in Tom Kirsten remembered me. A detailed briefing from Tom in his apartment — and off we went.

At first, I was overwhelmed and made many mistakes. The criticism I received was totally justified. I was blown away by how much this sport actually had to offer. But the more I immersed myself in it, the more rabbit holes I found and eagerly explored. Within weeks, I was glued to DartConnect, watching Challenge Tour events. I couldn’t help myself.

Eventually, I felt the urge to not only use the stories I researched in commentary, but also bring them to life on social media. I had to overcome my imposter syndrome: Why would anyone want to watch my videos? I was still new to the sport. But the feedback was surprisingly positive and kept pushing me forward: new stories, deeper deep-dives. My goal: to give darts the Tour de France treatment. I wanted the stories around the sport to come alive.

Last year, I connected with BULL’S. Ioannis Selachoglou, Martin Schindler’s mentor, had put in a good word for me. When I met BULL’S boss Hermann Stiens, I immediately knew: this is where I belong. Hermann radiates passion and energy for darts. His decades of experience and perseverance against all odds truly impressed me. In our first meeting, we didn’t talk about business — we just talked about darts.

BULL’S wants to make things happen. As a true hidden champion in darts and with the current hype surrounding the sport, the starting point is outstanding. The signings of Martin Schindler and Niko Springer speak for themselves. And I want to be part of it — together with my fellow brand ambassador Sabri, aka Splashbrudda. We want to bring the BULL’S brand to life and we have big plans. We’ll regularly produce content and put darts and its personalities front and center.

We’re kicking things off with what will hopefully be a spectacular Twitch stream from Niko Springer’s training room – featuring all German BULL’S tour card holders. Additionally, I’ll publish a monthly column on the new BULL’S website. And starting today, I’ll officially represent BULL’S across all channels.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Game on!
Adrian