In a press conference yesterday the team behind the Esports Championship Series (ECS) which is backed by Twitch and FACEIT, revealed some interesting details about how its league model is being amended and will work for teams and players from now on. 
Perhaps most notably, it was stated that teams will be co-owners. This means that they will have the option of becoming a member team which means they’ll share in all commercial benefits including media rights, sponsorships and all other income streams. It is a revenue share model which will include a minimum payment to teams involved. As such the success of the league will result directly in a greater benefit to all the orgs that feature. So far it has been stated that 13 teams have agreed, with four declining and three still in the discussion stage.
The Esports Championship Series Finals will take place in Anaheim on the 10th and 11th December.
In addition to this there are a lot of legal rules in place protecting both players and teams, in what will be the largest non publisher owned esports league in the world. In order to feature, certain terms and conditions must be met by teams. From a player perspective this includes a stipulation that all players must have an agreed upon written contract in which all financial terms are fully disclosed. In addition there must be a minimum paid vacation time, and commencement and expiry dates must be clear amongst other factors such as the need for minors to be represented by a parent or guardian.
Such focus on player protection should be central to a league’s ethos and having these established set of rules is a very positive sign for the ECS.
There will be also be a governing committee which will have separate team and player representation. This will be involved in both the operation and management of the league, and it’s here that issues can be raised around ways to make improvements including structure and the payment of fees.
Esports Insider says: An enlightening and promising press conference about the ECS. Empowering teams by making them part of a revenue share model should work, and the extensive stipulations amongst player contracts is a positive sign too.
