Archer Spotlight: Darrel Wilson

Published: 24th March 2026

Background info: 

I only really have time for one hobby, which is archery. Although I enjoy the outdoors and taking my two dogs for walks, I played a lot of other sports when I was younger. In my youth, I was a decent rugby player, as well as an accomplished athlete excelling in sprinting events. As I got older, I played a bit of football, and participated with a few tournament winning teams. 

Currently, I enjoy bow maintenance and experimenting with my archery equipment. I was named after the best archer in history:  Darrell Pace.  

I am currently sponsored by by Hoyt, Merlin Archery and Launchtec Blades.

Darrel’s Archery Journey

My father, Jack Wilson, was a Northern Irish Champion numerous times throughout the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s. He got me into archery when I was around 5 years old, but I didn’t commit to it until I followed my older brothers, Lee and Stuart. 

Officially I joined my first club, Bangor & District Archery Club, when I was 10 years old. Both my brothers were Northern Irish Champions on multiple occasions. They both inspired, encouraged and helped instill my competitive spirit. Unfortunately neither are currently competing. 

I have been shooting since 1990 as an Archery GB Member,  when I was 10 years old. However, my dad provided opportunities to practice in the back garden since I was around 5 years old. Then, I shot a bare bow. Technically, I’ve been shooting for more than 40 years now.

From age 10, I have shot competitively and represented Northern Ireland on many occasions, both as a Junior and Senior. At 11 years old, I represented Northern Ireland at the British Championships  shooting Recurve and continued to represent Northern Ireland, winning several Northern Irish Junior Championships until a shoulder injury at age 15. This forced me to the dark side of archery: compound. From age 16, I’ve competed in the Senior category, consistently winning titles and setting records from the 1990’s to present. 

I have more Northern Irish titles than I can remember, across multiple disciplines: 3D, Field, Outdoor Target and Indoor Target titles. And, I’m led to believe I am the only archer to represent Ireland at 3D, Field and Target World Championships. 

My favourite event was the Commonwealth Games in Dehli 2010, where both myself and my brother Stuart represented Northern Ireland individually and as part of the Gents Compound Team, along with Robert Hall. I am proud to have won the British Field Championships and shot at multiple World Championships representing Ireland.

Archery has been part of my life for so long, I cannot imagine not doing it. It’s my happy place and a release from everyday life. You can leave work, stress and pressures behind when you are on the shooting line. It’s like an escape. However, keeping random thoughts at bay when at full draw can sometimes be very difficult.

With archery, everyday is a school day. There’s always something new to learn or try. Even at age 45, I’m still shooting PB’s (personal bests) and setting Northern Irish and Irish records. My motivation to perform better comes from my competitive nature, and as standards are constantly rising, I need to improve to be able to compete.

Yes, I have a shot process and I believe everyone should. I start from my feet and work up. Consistent foot placement, grip, breathing, drawing the bow, anchoring, aiming, timing, release and follow through. All these parts of the process have a role to play in accuracy and in helping to control nerves.

I don’t train as such these days, and competitions are my practice sessions. I have a full time job, two kids, two dogs and a lovely wife. This takes up most of my time. In addition, I have a few injuries which flare up if I shoot too much. I have to trust my years of experience and muscle memory to get me through most shoots. Obviously this limits my potential, but I’ve done alright for myself considering my limited training. 

In my opinion, the only way to prepare for big competitions is by competing at more big competitions. Unfortunately, those opportunities don’t come around often in Northern Ireland. Visualization and practice do not help much with controlling nerves. However, having a proper shot process which you can focus on, and competing at more big events will.

During my younger years, my father coached me as a Recurve archer and helped develop me to a high standard. He helped my understanding of the sport and bow maintenance. Stuart, my brother, also coached me through my early Compound career. He was the number 1 Compound archer at that time. 

Since then, the internet has been my main source of information. I have learned, and continue to learn, from John Dudley, George Ryals and Paige Pierce. Their videos and articles have been extremely valuable and I would encourage all archers to avail of the online videos from the pros. 

I think the best pieces of advice I’ve gained from my coaches are:

1. Don’t think about the arrow you’ve just shot, and don’t think about the next one. Just focus, concentrate and give 100% to the arrow that’s in the bow. It’s the only one that matters. 
2. The more you practice the luckier you get.
3. You don’t get any points for style. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, as long as it looks the same every time.
4. I like this quote from Jay Barrs, “Archery done well is more art than science, have fun” 

Thankfully, I have been lucky enough to be supported and sponsored by Hoyt since the Commonwealth Games in 2010, and more recently by Merlin Archery and Launchtec Blades. Sponsorship has changed now. It’s no longer performance based, but your social media presence gets you noticed.

If you produce a lot of content and have many followers, getting sponsorship is easier. My journey was old school: performance based and by meeting and talking to manufacturers at international events. 

However, my family are my biggest supporters. Mum and dad are always excited to hear of big competition wins, even after all these years. And, my kids find it hard to hide their disappointment when I don’t win. I’m lucky as my wife gives me a bit of free time so I can go to the odd competition.

I’ve probably never told him, but my dad is my role model. You don’t realize the sacrifices your parents make for you when you’re a kid. He was a fantastic archer, who coached all three children to become champions at his own expense. I still remember all of us being packed into the back of a Ford Fiesta XR2 and being taken to competitions, I’ve no idea how we fitted into it. But he taught us honesty, integrity and respect. I think those things are starting to die out these days. 

At 45, my options are limited. Obviously if I was younger and with archery making its debut in the Olympics, that would have been an ambition. Realistically, I’m still good enough to pick and choose if I want to go to a World Championship or two, however I just can’t afford it! Maybe there’s another British title win to achieve before I hit the 50+ category. 

That said, I’m proud my kids Jessica and Jake are following the family tradition. They competed in their first competition recently, the NI Schools Cup Archery 2026, and were awarded medals. My dad came to spectate and support them both. It is lovely having three generations of archers!

The greatest challenges in archery are funding, coaching and access to facilities. Northern Ireland has produced some excellent archers, but due to a lack of resources, many have not reached their full potential. Unfortunately, to perform at the highest level, you need a healthy bank balance. Archery is quickly becoming a sport for the rich and sometimes being the best is not enough.

I have been involved with archery long enough to see how petty squabbles and politics ruin the sport. It seems to happen in cycles. When the sport recovers, it happens again. Archers tend to ruin it for themselves, not realizing without volunteers, we all suffer. 

Obviously, more funding is welcome and not just for the Juniors, for Seniors too. Archery is not an age-dependent sport, it would be nice to be recognised and included beyond a certain age bracket. It is a minority sport and does not receive the same coverage or press attention as other sports and it would be nice to see this change.

Throughout my archery career I’ve had many memorable moments such as winning my first Senior Northern Irish title, when archery in Northern Ireland was probably at its peak. The categories were packed with good archers. 

Another memory is winning my first British title and winning the Irish National Series when it was first introduced and shooting some amazing scores along the way. However, shooting in India at the Commonwealth Games alongside my brother would be a memory and experience that is hard to beat! 

Here’s my advice for anyone starting out. First and foremost, you need to enjoy it. There’s no money to be made, so you have to do it for the love of the sport. You need to realize that getting good won’t happen overnight and it takes time to show signs of improvement. Don’t try to be macho and pull too heavy a bow too early in your development.  

And don’t be afraid to ask other archers for advice. We’re always happy to help!

Thank you to Darrel for sharing his archery journey, helpful hints and giving us motivation to continue with our own archery. We’d also like to congratulate him for winning the Senior Sportsperson of the Year 2025 through the NMD Sports Awards in March 2026.