Phil Taylor: Controversies, Struggles & Net Worth

Phil Taylor is a former professional darts player. The power, as Phil is called, dominated the darts for over two decades.

The dynamic Phil Taylor has won a record 214 professional tournaments in 20 years.

Phil was called “The Crafty Potter,” as he reflected the quality of Eric Bristow. Sky Sports production manager Peter Judge gave the nickname “The Power.”

Most importantly, Taylor has won 85 major titles and 16 World Championships. Moreover, Phil is the wealthiest and most successful darts player in history.

Before getting introduced to the darts world, Phil was a ceramic toilet handler.

Phil started after he reached the age of 25 and took the world by storm. Eric Bristow was Phil’s mentor, advisor, and idol; Eric helped create Phil’s legacy.

The Power is rated among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years. Likewise, Phil dominated the whole darts game, winning almost everything which came in his way.

Amazingly, the Crafty Potter won eight consecutive World Championships from 1995 to 2002!

The boy from Stoke-on-Trent with the power in his right hand shook the whole world with his impressive dart-throwing capabilities.

Additionally, Phil became the inaugural inductee into Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame.

Likewise, Phil is among the players who played in competitions organized by the PDC and the BDO.

In this article, you will find detailed information about the career, personal life, net worth, and a lot more details about the greatest ever, Phil Taylor.

Quick Facts

Firstly, let’s get to know some quick facts about the legend!

Full Name	Phillip Douglas Taylor
Full Name	Phil Taylor
Birth Date	January 13, 1960
Birth Place	Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Place of Residence	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Nationality	English
Ethnicity	White
Religion	Christianity
Sex	Male
Nickname	The Power, The Crafty Potter
Laterality	Right-handed
Darts	26g Target Phil Taylor Gen 4
Walk-on music	“The Power” by Snap!
Hobbies	Playing football, Cooking, Investing
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Education	Not Available
Zodiac Sign	Leo
Father’s Name	Doug Taylor
Mother’s Name	Liz Taylor
Siblings	Christopher Taylor
Sponsors	Target Sports
Age	64 Years Old
Height	5 feet 7 inch
Reach	Not Available
Weight	176.3 lb (80 kg)
Chest size	34″
Biceps size	16″
Waist size	39″
Shoe size	11 (US)
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Hair Color	Gray
Profession	Professional Darts Player
Current world ranking	Retired
Coach	Eric Bristow
Marital Status	Married
Spouse	Yvonne Taylor (m. 1988-2014)
Active Years	1986-2018
Children	4 (Natalie Taylor, Kelly Taylor, Chris Taylor, Lisa Taylor)
Net Worth	$10 million
Social Media	Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Merch	Darts
Last Update	April, 2024

Phil Taylor: Early Life and Family

Phil was born on August 13, 1960, to parents Doug Taylor and Liz Taylor. The living legend of darts was born in Burslem, Stroke-on-Trent.

Likewise, Phil left school at the tender age of 16 due to financial problems. Taylor grew up in a council home where his family didn’t have electricity.

Furthermore, Taylor worked as a sheet metal worker and made ceramic toilet roll handles during his teen years.

Additionally, Phil earned £52 a week for the job he was doing back then.

Taylor supports his hometown football club, Port Vale. Most importantly, the club is very proud that Phil Taylor supports them.

Likewise, the Power was interested in playing darts and football as a child but never took it seriously as he had to work and earn to feed his family.

In 1986, Phil and his family moved to a terraced house near Eric Bristow’s Crafty Cockney pub.

Furthermore, after his wife gifted him a set of darts for his birthday, Phil occasionally started playing at Eric’s pub.

Amazingly, the same year, Phil was called up to play at the Super League and represent the England national team.

Likewise, Eric sponsored Phil by loaning him £10,000.

The journey of the great started from there as Phil left his job in the ceramic industry and started to play professional darts.

Furthermore, as Eric became Phil’s mentor, he bullied, humiliated, and did everything he could to Phil to make him go to the top.

As Bristow sponsored Taylor, the pair flew to Las Vegas.

Phil lost in the first round of the North American Open, and he struggled heavily during his first year on tour.

Phil Taylor: Age, Height, and Weight

The professional darts player is currently 64 Years Old.

Moreover, Phil is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 80 kilograms. He has 34 inches chest, 16 inches Biceps, and 39 inches waist.

In addition, the legend wears 11 US-sized shoes.

Phil Taylor: Career

Early Career

Phil’s first title came in 1988 during the Canadian Open as he defeated Bob Anderson in the final.

Likewise, that year Taylor reached the quarter-final and the semi-final of the British Open and the Winmau World Masters, respectively, to qualify for the World Championship.

Furthermore, Phil won his mentor Eric to win the World Championship, his first world title.

Amazingly, The Power dominated 1990, as he won most of the tournaments and won the Winmau World Masters.

Moreover, in 1991, Taylor was eliminated from the World Championship at the quarter-finals, but he made a comeback a year later and won the prestigious title.

Phil has stated that this win was one of his favorites. Additionally, in 1993, The Crafty Potter bought the Cricketers Arms situated in Newcastle.

Taylor joined the World Darts Council (WDC) known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) in 1994.

In his first WDC World Championship, Phil lost but took the event by storm as he dominated the next decade and more.

Likewise, in 1995, Phil won his first PDC championship as he beat Rod Harrington to win the World Championship final.

Amazingly, Taylor became a legend as he won the World Championship from 1995 to 2002 continuously.

Furthermore, John Part ended Taylor’s record of eight consecutive unbeaten runs of the PDC World Championship in 2003.

Likewise, in 2004, Phil again won the World Championship, making him an elite player who had won 11 Championships and 7 Matchplay.

Furthermore, Phil won the World Championship again till 2006, what a legend!

Moreover, Taylor lost the tournament to Raymond van Barneveld in 2007 and stated it was the best finals he had played in.

2007 was one of the worst years for Phil as he lost in all of the tournaments he took part in.

Survival of the fittest

Likewise, after a series of losses, Phil feared that his career was coming to an end, but the legend didn’t give up!

Phil rose from the defeats to win his fourth consecutive Premier League title and won his second US Open in 2008.

But Taylor was defeated in the quarter-final by Raymond van Barneveld at the UK Open.

Moreover, Phil regained his form from 2008 as he went on to win the World Matchplay, Grand Prix, European Championship, and the Grand Slam of Darts.

Phil again won World Championships in 2009 and 2010, making it his fifteenth World Championship.

Likewise, the legend also won the UK Open, the World Matchplay, and the Grand Prix in 2009.

Most importantly, Phil won the Grand Slam of Darts for the third successive time.

Moreover, the Power made history as he hit two consecutive nine-dart finishes in the 2010 Premier League final.

Furthermore, by the end of 2010, Taylor won most of the tournaments he took part in.

After Phil achieved all the titles, he became the runner-up for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2010.

In 2011, Taylor lost most of the games but won the Players Championship, winning against Gary Anderson in the finals.

Likewise, the Crafty Potter won his fourth consecutive European Championship as he beat Adrian Lewis a week after winning the Players Championship.

Most importantly, Phil made a record by winning the World Matchplay for the 12th time in 18 years.

Furthermore, the same year, Taylor won the Championship League and £6,600 in the group stages and £10,000 for winning the title.

Likewise, good things always seemed to come to Taylor; he won the Grand Slam of Darts and beat Gary Anderson again.

Slowing down but not really

In 2012, Phil got knocked out of the PDC World Championship in the quarter-finals.

Phil and Lewis became the heroes of England as they went on to win the World Cup of Darts representing England in 2012.

Furthermore, after four days, Taylor played against Lewis and drew in the Premier League.

Additionally, Phil went on to win his sixth Premier League title that season. He lost in the final of the Players Championship to Dave Chisnall.

Likewise, Phil won his fifth UK Open in June 2012, winning a final against Robert Thornton.

Shockingly, the Power walked off the stage during a semi-final match at the Shetland Open against Raymond van Barneveld.

Furthermore, Taylor lost in the second round of the World Grand Pix to Thorton. Phil won his third Championship League title as he beat Simon Whitlock in the finals in 2012.

Likewise, the Power lost against Mighty Mike, Michael van Gerwen, as he finished second in the Grand Slam of Darts Group.

Additionally, Phil finished sixth on the Order of Merit and qualified for the Finals.

Most importantly, Taylor was named the PDC Player of the Year as he won the World Championship against van Gerwen in 2013.

Furthermore, Phil won the World Cup of Darts again with Adrian Lewis. The dynamic Brit won his fifth UK Open in 2013.

Even though he achieved all the achievements, Phil Taylor’s rank decreased to 44th on the UK Order of Merit.

Likewise, Phil won the Gibraltar Darts Trophy as he won the final against Jamie Lewis. Taylor won against Robert Thompson to win his fifth Grand Slam title.

In  2014, a factory worker named Aden Kirk beat Taylor to knock him out at the UK Open.

Additionally, Phil won the German Darts Masters the same year.

Glory days over?

Phil was a horse in a long race; he always kept running and moving on from defeats.

Likewise, Taylor failed to complete a hat-trick of the World Cup of Darts as he lost against the Netherlands in the final.

In 2015, the Crafty Potter’s 38-match unbeaten streak at the World Matchplay ended as he was defeated in the semi-final.

Additionally, Phil won the Perth and Sydney Darts Masters.

Moreover, Taylor lost in the final of the Grand Slam in 2015, which meant that he won no majors for the first time since 1994.

In 2016, Phil Taylor was beaten by van Gerwen in the Premier League Final. Likewise, the great darts player lost in the Masters too to van Gerwen.

Despite the struggles, Phil and Lewis managed to win their fourth World Cup in 2016.

Furthermore, Taylor won the Austrian Darts Open, the only PDC European Tour he participated in that year.

Later on, 2016 was full of defeats for Phil Taylor as he lost most of the tournaments he participated in.

In 2017, Phil confirmed that he would retire after the 2018 World Darts Championship.

Furthermore, Taylor won the inaugural Melbourne Darts Masters, which was his final tournament win.

Finally, the legend retired after he lost in the final of the World Darts Championship in 2018.

Phil Taylor: Controversies

After an exhibition match, the then 39-year-old Taylor accompanied two women in his van. The two girls accused Taylor of indecent assault.

Moreover, Taylor denied the charges but was later found guilty and was fined £2,000.

Furthermore, because of his conviction, the members annulled Phil’s MBE nomination. But, Taylor finally got his MBE a year later.

Likewise, Phil was once accused of cheating as he missed a D12 and took the dart, and went to hit it again.

Furthermore, the judges, Phill and his opponent didn’t say a word about this incident.

Phil Taylor: Wife and Children

Taylor was a lover boy as he married his teenage sweetheart Yvonne. Furthermore, the couple has four beautiful children.

Lisa, Chris, Kelly, and Natalie are the names of the couple’s children.

Amazingly, Taylor is also a grandfather of four kids. Unfortunately, the beautiful couple separated in 2014.

Likewise, Taylor and Yvonne had been together for 23 years, but things didn’t end up good at last.

The divorce affected Taylor emotionally and economically as Phil was forced to give five houses and £830,000 to his ex-wife.

Furthermore, Phil blames himself for the divorce as he spent more time in darts than in his family.

Likewise, Yvonne also stated that Phil was never home and didn’t give any attention to their family.

Moreover, Taylor states that he has suffered after their break-up and even lost some weight.

Here is an article you want to read about Marielle Hadid, one of the famous Hadid sisters.

Phil Taylor: Tragedies

Phil Taylor’s life has been full of tragedies. Moreover, Phil’s father died at the age of 57 from bowel cancer.

Taylor states that his father never got to see the best years of his career, which saddens him.

In his childhood, Phil had to grow up struggling due to his family’s poverty.

And in his old age, Phil had to go through a divorce which severely affected his health and economy.

The power had a habit of eating fast food, which affected his excessive weight.

Furthermore, Phil started to eat healthily and did regular exercises to recover his health.

Phil Taylor: Net Worth

The former dart player had a fantastic career and is recognized as one of the greats in darts.

Phil “The Power” Taylor has an estimated net worth of $10 million.

Furthermore, one of the wealthiest darts players globally has won around £7.1million in his career as tournament prize earnings.

Moreover, the former darts player also earns from sponsorships and a few endorsements.

Phil Taylor: Charity

Taylor has been heavily influential to young people who are fond of darts. Likewise, Phil is also a generous person who loves to donate to good causes.

Phil has taken part in multiple charity matches and has also raised funds to help the needy.

Furthermore, post-COVID Phill and Raymond van Barneveld raised £15k for charity to help the people affected by the coronavirus.

Likewise, Taylor and seven other Premier League players took part in a single charity song, and the donations were made to Haven House Children’s Hospice.

Here’s an article about another British darts player, Dave Chisnall.

Phil Taylor: Awards and Achievements

• Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame
• MBE
• World Cup of Darts 4 times winner
• Player of the Year (PDC) 6 times
• World Championship 14 times winner
• Hall of Fame (PDC)
• World Matchplay 16 times winner

Phil Taylor: Social Media Presence

The Englishman is quite active on social media platforms as he shares photos and videos of the past to recall his great times.

Likewise, he has over 63.7k followers on his Instagram handle. Furthermore, the Power has a massive 345.1K Followers on his Twitter account.

Lastly, Phil has an official fan Facebook account with over 410K Followers.

Moreover, the gentleman Taylor posts information about charity events, sponsorships, and advertisements on his social media accounts.

Phil Taylor: Fun Facts

• Taylor has won around 219 dart titles.
• Phil used to train for 6 hours daily during his peek times.
• Eric Bristow was Phil’s coach and stated that he was god-like to Phil.
• Rising Damp is Taylor’s favorite TV Show.
• Once, Taylor was accused of farting on stage, which he claims as “Rubbish.”
• Phil was speculated to be in relation with his fitness trainer after his divorce, which Phil denies.
• Taylor left school at 15 to work on ceramic toilet handles.

Phil Taylor: FAQs

How is the relationship between Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis?

Lewis idolizes Phil, and he grew up watching Phil dominating the darts world. Phil played against Adrian and played with him too.

Furthermore, Taylor and Lewis have won four World Cup of Darts together.

Why did Phil Taylor and Yvonne divorce?

Yvonne filed a divorce against Phil because of the insufficient time Phil gave to the family.

Moreover, she wanted time with Phil, but the legend was too busy with his profession.