The "Darts Pope" from Ammersee

2022-12-27T10:13:46.055Z

The "Darts Pope" from Ammersee Created: 12/27/2022, 11:02 am By: Thomas Ernstberger The voice of darts: Elmar Paulke is currently commenting on the World Cup from the legendary "Ally Pally" - but he also occasionally acts as stadium announcer for the Dießen footballers. © private Elmar Paulke is currently commenting on the Darts World Cup on DAZN. The 52-year-old is described as the voice of d

The "Darts Pope" from Ammersee

Created: 12/27/2022, 11:02 am

By: Thomas Ernstberger

The voice of darts: Elmar Paulke is currently commenting on the World Cup from the legendary "Ally Pally" - but he also occasionally acts as stadium announcer for the Dießen footballers.

Elmar Paulke is currently commenting on the Darts World Cup on DAZN.

The 52-year-old is described as the voice of darts and has lived with his family in Dießen since 2015.

Dießen

– The next World Cup is on!

No longer in football and no longer in the desert, but in London and in a sport that is becoming more and more popular.

It was once ridiculed, but has now triggered a real hype and has millions of TV ratings worldwide.

The 30th World Championship of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) will take place in the legendary "Ally Pally", the Alexandra Palace, until January 3rd.

Right in the middle and every day as a DAZN commentator is Diessener Elmar Paulke (52).

He is the "voice of darts" and is even respectfully called 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 July 2015.

"I've lived in Bavaria since 1998, from Schwabing to Wizlhofen and Iffeldorf to Diessen.

I've always liked this place.

You can feel the artistic scene, there are nice restaurants and I like the people.

I just feel good here,” enthuses Paulke.

How did the “Pope” get into this “precision sport in which arrows are thrown at a round disc”, as it says on Wikipedia?

Paulke, the winner of the Bavarian TV 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, since 2010 Sport 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.

That's when I knew: I'll do that.

That was courageous of me at the time, but now I can say: Exactly the right decision.

“ Paulke had an expert at his side in Dietmar Ernst.

“We immediately had a strong response.

300,000 spectators were good for a fringe sport.

And then everything got bigger and bigger.

Darts has potential for addiction because there is a struggle with perfection here,” explains the man from Dießen.

“I come from tennis, there are a lot in common.

The one on one, the pressure situations and moments, an extremely good world class.

I was the first to say: darts is sport. "Is Paulke, since 2018 sports 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.

because there is a battle with perfection here,” explains the man from Dießen.

“I come from tennis, there are a lot in common.

The one on one, the pressure situations and moments, an extremely good world class.

I was the first to say: darts is sport. "Is Paulke, since 2018 sports 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.

because there is a battle with perfection here,” explains the man from Dießen.

“I come from tennis, there are a lot in common.

The one on one, the pressure situations and moments, an extremely good world class.

I was the first to say: darts is sport. "Is Paulke, since 2018 sports 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.

"This sport is simply communicative," he says.

And you've also known his face for a long time: "I even notice that when I go for a walk in Dießen.

You recognize me, people keep talking to me,” he reveals.

But when you interview him in his home town, you immediately notice that there is a “celebrity” sitting there who has autograph cards and his own darts collection, but who hasn’t gotten his head in the head about his success.

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 Neuner 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 2022.

You can also meet him again and again in his home Ammersee Stadium.

Sometimes kicking with the kids in the "soccer box", sometimes when the MTV women are playing, even with the microphone in hand.

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 Diessener sporting director.