French football club Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace has joined forces with esports organisation Team Vitality to compete in the upcoming FIFA 21 eLigue 1 campaign.
The partnership marks Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace’s first step into esports.
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FIFA FUT17 Championship world champion Corentin ‘RocKy’ Chevrey and Dylan ‘Dylo’ Gozuacik will jointly represent both entities as a result of the partnership.
According to the press release, Team Vitality and Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace will co-create content around the competition to provide fans of both clubs with the opportunity to follow its FIFA adventures.
Marc Keller, President of the Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace, commented (translated from French): “We are very happy to partner with Team Vitality, which is a benchmark in its field, both in terms of sports results and in terms of financial results. This collaboration demonstrates the club’s desire to structure an ambitious and reasoned esport approach.”
The eLigue 1 is France’s official domestic FIFA 21 competition organised by EA Sports and the French Football League. The competition is a part of the FIFA Global Series along with the ePremier League, eSerie A, and eDivisie, among others.
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Fabien Devide, President of Team Vitality said: “We are delighted to join forces with a partner such as the Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace within the framework of eLigue 1 to continue to create bridges between traditional sport and esport.
“The FIFA game is a strong link between our two disciplines and we look forward to thrilling the many football and esports enthusiasts, present among the supporters of both teams, on this competition.”
Earlier this year, Team Vitality secured a FIFA-specific partnership with electronics manufacturer Philips Monitors. As a result of the partnership, the organisation’s FIFA team has been playing exclusively on monitors from the Philips Momentum line.
Benjamin Guthleben, Marketing Manager of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace, added: “Esport must be the means of promoting the Racing brand among the youngest [audience].
“Opening up to new markets and of turning the club towards the international market. This approach is part of our income diversification strategy and should lead us to new growth opportunities.”
Esports Insider says: We’re seeing more and more European football clubs enter esports, especially through the FIFA esports route. This partnership is unique in that the football club has tagged such a renowned and established esports organisation to show them the way and jointly vie for a title. It will be interesting to see where else Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace explores after the tournament.