In a recent press release, luxury car manufacturer Porsche has announced a brand new partnership with Hamburger SV‘s esports division. The Porsche Centre in Hamburg has joined forces with the Bundesliga club’s FIFA side, with room for expansion into other games.
The Hamburg Centre will serve as a performance partner and the company logo will appear on the jerseys of the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) team. Additionally, Porsche will host a range of esports events at their Centre in Hamburg as well as the football club’s home ground, the Volksparkstadion.
Both HSV and Porsche have described this as a long term partnership and indicated that they intend to continue developing the FIFA side, as well as potential opportunities elsewhere in the future.
HSV’s FIFA team is comprised of Jannik “Testotier” Berg, Quinten “Quinten” van der Most, and Niklas “Heisen” Heisen. They currently stand at sixth place in the VBL on 70 points in a tight race for the final three playoffs spots. Only four points separate HSV from fourth place VfB Stuttgart with six games left to play. Sitting five points behind but with an extra game in hand, DSC Arminia Bielefield is hot on HSV’s heels and looking to nab a top-six spot for themselves.
HSV’s next game takes place Wednesday 27th February as they match up against RB Leipzig looking to climb up from the lower end of the table. You can catch that match on the official HSV Esports Twitch.
Esports Insider says: Non-endemic sponsors are crucial to the continued growth of esports, and bringing on a luxury sponsor like Porsche is a boon for any team and professional league. The fact that Porsche will be running and hosting events geared towards attracting non-traditional consumers will definitely be something to watch. The partnership is a testament to the resources, structuring and collaboration that has gone into the construction and maintenance of the VBL.