David Beckham-backed British esports organisation Guild Esports has secured a major partnership with media and entertainment powerhouse Sky UK.
Guild claimed in the announcement that it believes the multi-faceted deal is one of the largest esports sponsorships ever signed in Europe.
The partnership includes exclusive naming rights to the organisation’s facility in Shoreditch. The agreement will also see Guild Esports launch an all-female Rocket League team.
Guild’s 9500+ sq. ft. HQ, which was officially unveiled earlier this year, will now be named the Sky Guild Gaming Centre. As a result, the facility will be fitted with Sky broadband and Wi-Fi and will feature Sky’s branding throughout its interior and exterior.
Sky becomes Guild’s eighth partner since the organisation became publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. The organisation’s commercial portfolio features prominent names such as Subway, HyperX, Samsung and Coca-Cola, among others. Notably, this is Sky’s first agreement with an esports organisation.
In a release, Guild and Sky highlighted that the partnership will be centred around three core commitments. These include providing greater opportunities for women in esports, delivering esports performance and coaching development, and providing esports competitions for Sky VIP customers. The announcement states that the latter commitment will involve all of Guild’s esports titles.
Despite securing significant partnerships, 2022 has been a rocky year for the esports organisation. Most notably, Guild announced a loss of £4.96m for the six-month period ending on March 31 2022, and reduced its number of staff.
Nevertheless, the organisation did increase its emphasis on health and well-being through the appointment of Kit Brunswick as Safeguarding and Wellbeing lead and a partnership with Hyperice.
Regarding the new partnership, Kal Hourd, Chief Executive of Guild Esports, commented: “We are incredibly proud to welcome Sky, a media, entertainment and connectivity powerhouse, to the esports sector.
“We believe this partnership will drive Guild to the highest levels of performance in top-flight esports across the four games where we field our pro-players, as well as to become a global leader in coaching and performance.”
