February 5 – The inaugural Sportego Celtic eSports League kicks off February 6 with a 14-week season that opens with Linfield against Shamrock Rovers followed by Crusaders vs Dundalk.
The following evening the remaining four teams in the league are in action. Wolverhampton Wanderers meet Hibernian and Hamilton Academicals play TNS. Sharp-eyed readers will notice Wolves aren’t strictly a Celtic side – they are the only English representatives in the league.
The Celtic eSports league matches top gamers from the UK and Ireland with professional football clubs in a league tournament. Matches are played on the EA Sports FIFA game.
Last December Sportego sponsored the Celtic Community Cup. Hibernian were the winners and the experience convinced organisers to move to a league format. Sportego has stepped up as sponsor again.
Geoff Wilson from the Celtic eSports League said: “We are delighted to have Sportego onboard for the inaugural league competition.
eSports is growing at a phenomenal rate world-wide and the clubs’ involved are demonstrating an innovative approach to growing the brand of their clubs online. The Sportego Celtic eSports League is an exciting new concept and we hope to attract new fans for not only the league but all the clubs involved.”
eSports is a fast growing sport with a number of professional teams attracting sponsors and fan bases. Football clubs have been taking more interest and are signing top gamers to represent their clubs. Both FIFA and CONCACAF have run gaming championships for individual players that have culminated in big events.
In the US EA’s partnership with ESPN saw the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series Paris Regional Final broadcast on ESPN against the Super Bowl, with additional coverage airing on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.
The Celtic league is the first one launched for football club representation played on a league basis. It is unlikely to be the last.
Colm O’ Mealoid from Sportego said: “This is an extremely exciting move for us. The sponsorship of the Celtic eSports League is the first of its kind and we’re proud to be treading new ground. We have some fantastic clubs to work with during the inaugural season and we look forward to helping the league grow with some innovative activation campaigns and fan engagement initiatives.”
Matches are screened live at www.twitch.TV/CESL
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