Elmar Paulke, the "Darts Pope" from Diessen
Created: 12/20/2022, 7:00 p.m
By: Thomas Ernstberger
Elmar Paulke, the "voice of darts", lives in Diessen with his three children.
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Diessen – It's the World Cup again!
No longer in football, but in a sport that is becoming more and more popular, that was once ridiculed, but now has millions of viewers worldwide.
The 30th World Championship of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) will take place in "Ally Pally", the Alexandra Palace in London until January 3rd.
Right in the middle and working every day as a DAZN commentator is Elmar Paulke from Diessen.
The 52-year-old is the voice of darts.
He is even dubbed the "Darts Pope".
Born in Bergisch-Gladbach from the Rhineland, he has lived with his children Carlotta (16), Moritz (14) and Ruben (12) on Lake Ammer since the summer of 2015.
"I've lived in Bavaria since 1998, from Schwabing via Wilzhofen and Iffeldorf to Diessen.
I've always liked this place.
You can feel the artist scene, there are nice restaurants and I like the people.
I just feel good here,” enthuses Paulke.
Does he also have a darts board in his apartment?
"Sure, I play there with my kids." How does he play himself: "Badly," he admits.
How did the "Pope" come to this "precision sport in which arrows are thrown at a round disc" (Wikipedia explanation)?
Paulke, the winner of the Bavarian Television Prize (for his documentary "Boris Becker - I did it my way" about the German tennis star in May 2000) made the start in his early days at the end of the 90s at DSF (German sports television, founded in 1993, since 2010 sports 1).
“I was asked if I would consider commentating on darts.
I had no idea about this sport.
I then went to Bundesliga matchdays and was extremely hooked straight away.
It was a special energy, the guys were crazy about darts.
It was clear to me: I'll do that - that was brave of me at the time, but now I can say: Exactly the right decision." He says: "I come from tennis,
there are a lot of similarities.
The one-on-one, the pressure situations and moments.
The top of the world is extremely good, that's really 1a.
I was the first to say darts is a sport.”
Is Paulke, since 2018 a commentator and top expert on the live streaming service DAZN, which broadcasts the entire World Cup, also a fan?
"Sure, darts excites me," he admits.
The name Paulke is now a household name - not only in Dießen, but throughout Germany.
He comments on and moderates several television shows on Pro7 (such as the Celebrity Darts World Cup on January 7) and RTL (such as the "Trampoline Show"), has written three books, including the Spiegel bestsellers "Game On" and "Perfect Game" and organizes darts events.
You've also known his face for a long time: "I even notice it when I go for a walk in Dießen.
You recognize me, people keep talking to me,” he reveals.
During the interview in his home community, however, you immediately notice: There is a "celebrity" sitting there who has autograph cards and his own darts collection, but whose success has not gotten into his head.
A completely normal fellow.
He is only waiting for one thing: "For a national hero to come in darts.
Like Boris Becker and Steffi Graf in tennis back then.
Or a Magdalena Neuer in biathlon.
Then the odds really go up again in darts.”
In addition to sport with arrows, Paulke's great love is football.
The man from Dießen has been moderating the DAZN Bundesliga show “Der Spieltag” since January of this year.
You can also meet him again and again in his home Ammersee Stadium.
Sometimes playing with the kids in the "Soccer Box", sometimes even with the microphone in hand when the MTV women are playing.
The “Pope” then reads out the team line-ups before the game.
And Paulke also commented on the men's promotion game in the summer.
"Of course it's a huge honor for us when he spontaneously becomes the stadium announcer," says Nico Weis, the technical director of the Dießener.
"Elmar is just a mega guy - a totally natural, open-minded and likeable guy."
