Melbourne City FC has become the first Australian team to sign a FIFA pro.
This is no great surprise in their position as part of The City Group, with both other clubs; Manchester and New York, having signed FIFA players themselves some time back.
The player in question this time around is 20 year old Marcus Gomes.
He said of the announcement: “I started playing FIFA 2006 when I was nine, and I could never have imagined that the game would be where it is today, or that I would be signing a professional eSports contract with a club like Melbourne City.
“I have followed City for the last few years and I am really looking forward to wearing the City blue shirt at this year’s tournaments.”
Gomes will be in London this week representing his new club in the FIFA Interactive World Cup.
You can watch Gomes’ introductory video here:
? Marcus Gomes chats to CityTV about signing with the Club. Marcus will compete at the FIFA Interactive World Cup in London this week! ? ? pic.twitter.com/OZ3ZhulqdE
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) August 15, 2017
Scott Munn, Melbourne City CEO commented: “We know that many of our younger fans are playing esports regularly, and interest in the industry is growing in Australia and globally. With 16 million people playing FIFA worldwide, and the competitive FIFA scene taking shape, it is the right time for Melbourne City to move into esports.
“We see a huge amount of potential and ambition in Marcus. He is a huge football fan, has proven success as a player, and is passionate about representing Melbourne City and engaging with our fans.”
Esports Insider says: We’ve seen other Australian sports clubs enter esports already such as Adelaide Crows’ acquisition of Sydney team Legacy, and as mentioned this one is no great surprise with the other City Group clubs’ commitment to FIFA esports to date. Regardless, it’s another club to add to the ever expanding list of pro clubs involved in esports to some degree!