eSports
EXCEL ESPORTS reveals its new competitive FIFA roster, completing the biggest FIFA transfer signing in history, signing Tom ‘Tom’ Leese
British competitive gaming culture brand EXCEL ESPORTS is excited to announce the launch of its competitive FIFA team. The announcement is accompanied by the organisation signing FIFA professional Tom ‘Tom’ Leese in the biggest FIFA transfers ever, as well as signing renowned FIFA ex-professional Nathan “Zelonius” Horton as the team manager. One of the most popular games globally, the new signings will position EXCEL’s FIFA roster as one of the strongest competitive teams internationally. EXCEL will also reveal a second player joining the squad soon, follow all updates on xl.gg/FIFAxl.gg/FIFA.
Boasting an already impressive competitive esports roster, the move into FIFA was a natural progression for the outspoken British esports brand, especially with its current ambassador, professional footballer Dele Alli. An opportunity to celebrate and highlight UK based FIFA talent at competitive tournaments globally, EXCEL will be creating engaging video and social media content as well as community activities for its new roster offering The expansion into the FIFA esports space also allows EXCEL the opportunity to connect with FIFA’s fast-growing fanbase, which will be new territory for the esports brand.
Aligning with their future ambitions for further developing a highly-anticipated competitive FIFA platform globally, EXCEL will also work closely with EA and participating teams to drive more exposure in media and in-game assets, including offering fans an exclusive EXCEL ESPORTS out-of-game kit. The new kit will include a new EXCEL ESPORTS jersey, complete with the addition of new partner EE, following a recent expansion of EXCEL’s partnership with BT.
The biggest transfer in competitive FIFA history, EXCEL has signed the number one ranked FIFA player in the world for the last two years, Tom ‘Tom’ Leese. Bursting into the scene at the ripe age of 17, Tom began competing online against other competitive players and pro players as a hobby before discovering his skills and passion for the game. Placing top six at his first tournament, the FIFA17 Ultimate Team Championship 2017, Tom went on to sign his first deal with professional team FUTWIZ. After finding his competitive feet and joining EXCEL coming off the back of winning the E-Premier League, Tom will bring undoubtedly entertaining content and his dedicated fan base across with him.
Originally a teacher who posted educational articles on FIFA Reddit during his spare time, Nathan “Zelonius” Horton begun streaming and playing full time after his following grew over five years ago. Shortly after playing full time, Zelonius qualified for his first tournament and was signed with FUTWIZ. Joining the team with the aim to help EXCEL become the most successful FIFA team in the world, Zelonius believes together, they will have the right infrastructure to achieve this goal.
EXCEL has also bought on distinguished sports and celebrity photographer David Ellis to help develop the creative direction for the players and team. Having photographed some of the most influential athletes globally, including the likes of Jack Grealish, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, David will bring a wealth of creative experience to EXCEL. Through his imagery, David will help to shape the identity of EXCEL’s players visually and create bold statements across EXCEL’s apparel lines and campaigns, to ensure the organisation stands out like no esports team has done before.
CEO of EXCEL ESPORTS, Wouter Sleijffers comments: “We are thrilled to announce to the EXCEL community our launch into the competitive FIFA space, as well as the signings of Tom and Zelonius. We have been following the competitive FIFA community for a while now and believe it’s an area where we can strive, especially within the UK and Europe.
“Bringing on some of the best talents that the competitive UK FIFA scene has to offer, alongside the incredible David Ellis to capture it all, we can’t wait to see what Tom and Zelonius bring to the team and look forward to seeing them dominating the scene. We are also excited to be announcing some more FIFA news to fans shortly!”
FIFA professional Tom ‘Tom’ Leese comments: “I am proud to be joining the EXCEL team as their first-ever professional FIFA signing! When EXCEL first approached me, the idea of working together definitely caught my attention. The drive within the EXCEL team to constantly improve and the commitment to jumping straight into the competitive FIFA space really excites me.
“I want to take my competitive performance and content up another gear and continue to build myself and the growing team whilst doing this, and I feel EXCEL is the perfect place for me to do this. I believe we both share a vision and drive to establish ourselves as a leading team in the scene and I’m looking forward to making that happen!”
FIFA manager Nathan “Zelonius” Horton comments: “I am excited to be announced as the manager of EXCEL’s first FIFA team! I truly believe in the vision of this FIFA team and think it is a really exciting team to be joining. I can’t wait to help EXCEL to become the most successful team in FIFA – especially with some exciting upcoming announcements.
“I also really resonate with EXCEL’s power of better. As a content creator in FIFA I’ve had numerous in-depth conversations with viewers where I’ve been able to help them and using the platform I have at EXCEL and the great tools we have here I really want to do the best I can to embody this manifesto.”
Pete Jeavons, Director of Marketing Communications at EE, said: “We’re the UK’s best network for gaming and partner to the home of football Wembley Stadium connected by EE; so expanding our sponsorship to see EE partner with EXCEL’s first competitive FIFA team is something we’re hugely excited about.
“As well as showing our support for the team by adding EE to the new EXCEL ESPORTS jersey, we will be working with EXCEL over the coming months to use our partnership and our technology to bring gaming fans even closer to the action, so watch this space.”
eSports
NEW YORK ISLANDERS REPRESENTATIVE ERIK ‘EKI’ TAMMENPAA EARNS HIS SIXTH EUROPEAN TITLE AT THE EA SPORTS NHL 24 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
In a rematch of last year’s European Championship, Erik ‘Eki’ Tammenpää, representing the New York Islanders, again prevailed over Teemu ‘Temppanen’ Karvonen representing the Anaheim Ducks to win the EA SPORTS NHL 24 European Championship title. The win marks Eki’s fourth-straight and sixth-overall European Championship title (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and another $15,000 USD in earnings. Temppanen placed second in the competition that took place at the Copenhagen Media Facility in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sunday evening. For a second year straight, both players will represent Europe in the EA SPORTS NHL 24 World Championship taking place in April in New York.
Eki is a full-time YouTube and Twitch content creator and EA SPORTS™ NHL® 24 expert and 24-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland. He remains the most decorated esports player on the NHL competitive circuit and will try once again to capture the World title after capturing runner up at last year’s EA SPORTS NHL 23 World Final.
During the competition in Copenhagen today, Temppanen and Eki qualified for a spot in the World Final by competing in a semifinal best-of-three round. Both players split their first two games, with Temppanen ultimately overtaking NikkeDanglesin a tight competition and Eki defeating Eken45Jr with eight goals in a Game Three shutout.
The Championship series saw a rematch of last year’s EA SPORTS NHL 23 European Final with Temppanen and EKI facing off once again. While Temppanen took the lead with an early goal in Game One, Eki scored three quick goals in a three-minute span during the second period and a game-winning goal in the third period by Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers). Eki continued his goal streak and dominated Game Two, ultimately scoring six unanswered goals, including tallies from Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Bo Horvat(New York Islanders), and Cam Atkinson (Philadelphia Flyers). Eki’s
6-0 victory solidified his sixth European title and status as “the one to beat.”
EA SPORTS NHL 24 EUROPEAN FINAL STANDINGS
1st: Eki, New York Islanders
2nd: Temppanen, Anaheim Ducks
3rd: Eken45jr, Pittsburgh Penguins
4th: NikkeDangles, Washington Capitals
5th-8th: Alphaborje, Detroit Red Wings
5th-8th: Kibeeex, Toronto Maple Leafs
5th-8th: Launonexx, Tampa Bay Lightning
5th-8th: Teemuyy, Colorado Avalanche
The EA SPORTS NHL 24 North American Championship will be contested on March 24 at the NHL Flagship Store in New York beginning at 1 p.m. ET on the NHL’s Twitch channel. For more news, fans can visit www.nhl.com/NHL24 and follow the conversation on social using #NHL24WC.
eSports
Supported by Access Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Investment Office, KALM opens global headquarters in the emirate
KALM, the world’s first sports and esports consultancy focused on player development and performance, has launched its new global headquarters in Abu Dhabi. KALM aims to revolutionise the landscape by offering a blend of expertise from both traditional sports and esports, including innovations, technology and academic partnerships to develop first-in-class services for athletes.
Powered by Access Abu Dhabi, an initiative by Maven Global Access and supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), KALM will provide its services to organisations, global brands and individual athletes in and out of their sporting endeavours.
KALM utilises proprietary performance technology from Stanford University to identify key traits and talent of athletes by evaluating perceptive, physical and mental capabilities. It is focused on creating a best-in-class performance centre dedicated to optimising player health and recovery. KALM harnesses data science and AI applications to understand peak player performance and lifestyle factors affecting performance and develops methods to extend the longevity of an athlete’s career.
Massimo Falcioni, Chief Competitiveness Officer at ADIO, said: “Abu Dhabi is steadily emerging as a regional sports and esports centre, and KALM is joining a solid lineup of global players who are setting up their operations in the emirate. Boasting a positive investment environment, enabling regulations and cutting-edge infrastructure and connectivity, Abu Dhabi continues to be a destination of choice for innovators. We are confident that KALM will drive further growth for a key sector in the emirate, through offering unique and innovative services.
Dr Melita Moore, Managing Partner at KALM, said: “At KALM, our mission is to put the player at the centre. Esports athletes compete at the highest level and their physical, mental and overall wellbeing deserves the same level of care as traditional athletes. We chose Abu Dhabi as the location for our headquarters because of the incredible support and opportunities offered by this vibrant city. Access Abu Dhabi played a pivotal role in bringing us to the region initially. Abu Dhabi’s strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and unwavering commitment to innovation in the gaming industry made it the ideal choice for KALM to thrive.”
KALM has established an athlete-centric development model through education, brand-building and commercialisation focused on protecting, managing and leveraging athlete brands. Through its global headquarters, the company will engage with government, the private sector, federations, teams and key stakeholders to create, drive and deliver its athlete health and wellbeing strategy.
Dr Melita Moore, renowned in sports medicine, brings her global leadership from serving as team physician for NBA and WNBA, to a leading role at the Global Esports Federation as a Vice President. Dr Khizer Khaderi is a visionary in neuro-ophthalmic surgery and technology, contributes expertise in AI, VR and AR. Ali Al Ramahi, a leading sports scientist and performance coach, specialises in developing wellness programmes for esports athletes, while Luke Fedlam, a distinguished sports attorney, shapes the regulatory landscape of sports and esports and provides athlete development and education.
KALM’s initiative will elevate the Middle East’s presence in the global sports and esports arena, providing a platform for young aspirants to achieve international acclaim. The timing of the launch aligns with the region’s growing interest in digital sports and entertainment, marking a significant stride in the development of a robust esports ecosystem.
eSports
Esports Champions Heroic Partner with Thunderpick as Official Sponsor!
Heroic, the esports organization for the future, is thrilled to announce a landmark partnership with Thunderpick, the leading online crypto betting platform. This multi-year agreement positions Thunderpick as the Exclusive Global Betting Sponsor for Heroic’s CS2, Dota 2, and Sim Racing teams, and highlights the shared ambition of both organizations to revolutionize fan engagement in esports.
The partnership follows the recent announcement of Thunderpick World Championship 2024, the brand’s namesake $1 Million prize pool tournament where Heroic is set to compete. Thunderpick will also support Heroic in the CS2 PGL Major this month, and the DOTA2 ESL One Birmingham in April, where they have already secured their qualification.
“Partnering with Heroic, a team known for its leadership and success across various esports titles, is a significant milestone for Thunderpick,” said Kelly Sanders, Head of Strategy at Thunderpick. “We’re looking forward to supporting Heroic’s journey, cheering them on at Thunderpick World Championship 2024, and making awesome innovations in the esports space together.”
The collaboration between Heroic and Thunderpick is more than a sponsorship; it’s a fusion of passion, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of enhancing the esports landscape. Fans of Heroic can anticipate engaging activities, exclusive content, cool merch, and unique opportunities to connect with their favorite team like never before.
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