From faxing press releases at midnight to leading one of the most profitable arms of the Matchroom empire, Matthew Porter has spent over two decades shaping the business of modern sport.Now Chief Executive of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Chairman of Matchroom Multi Sport, Matt sits at the intersection of entertainment and elite competition - where numbers, audiences, and brand loyalty drive everything. In this episode, he joins Ben to talk about graft, risk, and the leadership lessons learned under Barry and Eddie Hearn.From his early days as a Leyton Orient press officer to taking darts global, Matt reflects on how Matchroom built a winning culture that rewards initiative over hierarchy, why the company’s best ideas start with a “why not?”, and why failure - when done for the right reasons - is the best teacher there is.🎧 Listen as we discuss… (00:00) – From Leyton Orient press officer to Matchroom HQ (03:00) – Being named football club CEO at 26 — a baptism of fire (06:00) – Barry Hearn’s mentorship: learning by doing (and by failing) (08:00) – Matchroom’s culture of “yes”: ideas, ownership, and accountability(10:00) – From UK events to a global darts empire (13:00) – Breaking misconceptions: transforming darts into a world-class sport (16:00) – Luke Littler’s rise and the next generation of players (18:00) – Why PDC success is built on youth development, not luck (20:00) – Should darts be in the Olympics? Matt’s unfiltered take (23:00) – Lessons from football: why fan experience beats tradition (27:00) – The Matchroom model: entertainment first, ego second (30:00) – The Netflix effect: inside At Home With The Hearns (33:00) – Darts as Matchroom’s most profitable sport — and why that matters (36:00) – What “GRAFT” means to Matthew PorterKEY TAKEAWAYSSay yes, then figure it out. Matchroom’s success comes from action, not committees.Failure teaches faster. You’ll never get in trouble for making mistakes made with the right intent.Hire on attitude, not pedigree. The Matchroom model rewards hunger over hierarchy.Fans come first. Evolve with your audience or risk becoming irrelevant.Graft = sacrifice. True progress means giving more than you take and earning your right to be there.Matthew Porter - Chief Executive of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Chairman of Matchroom Multi Sport. Having joined Matchroom in 2001, he’s played a key role in taking darts global, shaping one of the most commercially successful sports businesses in the world, and developing the next generation of Matchroom leaders.Follow Matchroom on InstagramWatch At Home with the Hearns on Netflix.

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