Marca have broken the news that an agreement between the Spanish Institute of Youth (“INJUVE”) and the National Association for the Promotion of Digital Entertainment (“ANFED”) will see the Spanish Federation of Video Games and Esports created.
In the article written by Marca, a leading traditional news source in Spain – it described esports as a “continuing boom” – citing Sevilla‘s entrance to the world of esports as an indicator of such activity.
The Virtual Football Organisation (“VFO”) was announced by La Liga teams with Sevilla, Villarreal CF, Real Aviles C.F., Real Sociedad, Real Zaragoza, and Real Sporting de Gijón the initial names on the bill. We’ve not heard anything else about the VFO since it’s announcement – and recently Paul ‘ReDeYe’ Chaloner suggested in an interview with ESI that the tournament may not work and represents a misunderstanding of the esports industry.
The federation would not be the first in its kind – but for a country that has little esports ‘fame’ such as Spain it’s a big, and interesting step. Countries that are significantly more successful and well established in esports such as South Korea and Malaysia already have such associations and it may be that the Spanish counterparts look to replicate such organisations.
With regards to the new federation, a more formal announcement is expected next week.
Esports Insider: We don’t have much to go off just yet, but it’s another interesting development. Once the full announcement is made we’ll have a much better understanding of the scope of this federation and what it’s looking to achieve.