Former PDC World Champion and highly decorated Rob Cross, has been barred from acting as a company director after a government investigation revealed that his business failed to settle over £450,000 in tax obligations.
The Boardroom team have observed the financial complications of darts players previously and this cautionary tale may be added to the current debate about the benefits, pitfalls and perils of management or lack thereof?
The Insolvency Service confirmed that the 34-year old mismanaged significant funds from his company, Rob Cross Darts Limited, which was created to handle his earnings and endorsements. The financial discrepancies, spanning over three years, resulted in a five year ban from company directorship, effective from June 2025.
The probe found that between March 2020 and November 2023, Cross withdrew more than £300,000 from the company – funds which should have been directed to creditors, including HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). At the time of its collapse, the company owed hundreds of thousands in corporation tax, VAT, and payroll contributions, while Cross had personally drawn more than £400,000 through a director’s loan account.
Cross, who claimed darts’ top prize at the 2018 PDC World Championship and later added multiple World Series titles to his name, now faces the financial consequences of mismanagement off the oche.
In 2024, he entered into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) – a formal agreement overseen by an insolvency practitioner – to repay a portion of what he owes. The repayments are linked to his future income from the sport, meaning his tournament performances will directly impact how much money he’s able to return to creditors.
Kevin Read, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, stressed the wider implications of the case:
“When directors neglect their tax responsibilities, it doesn’t just affect the balance sheet – it undermines the funding of essential public services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. This kind of behaviour deprives the public purse of critical resources.”
The investigation uncovered that Rob Cross Darts Limited received over £1 million during the period under review, including £169,500 in sponsorship deals and over £260,000 from his management company. However, little of that was used to settle the company’s tax bills. HMRC received just under £42,000 during the three-year span, despite liabilities mounting to well over ten times that figure.
In addition to the funds taken directly by Cross, over £665,000 was also transferred to an account linked to a third party. The combined withdrawals left the firm deeply in the red, with total liabilities of £579,805 when it entered liquidation in November 2023. Cross admitted that some of the money was used in a way that knowingly put HMRC at a disadvantage.
His disqualification undertaking, accepted by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, prohibits him from forming, managing, or promoting any company until June 2030 unless he receives specific court approval.
The case serves as a reminder that even sporting icons are not exempt from corporate accountability. Regulators emphasised that the rules governing directors apply across the board, regardless of fame or status.
“Upholding these standards ensures fair competition, and protects compliant businesses that do the right thing.” Red added.
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Images: PDC
