SV Werder have made the leap into eSport. The Green-Whites will orientate their focus around EA Sports’ “FIFA” and SV Werder gaming professionals will compete in events after the release of FIFA19 in the autumn.
SV Werder have made the leap into eSport. The Green-Whites will orientate their focus around EA Sports’ “FIFA” and SV Werder gaming professionals will compete in events after the release of FIFA19 in the autumn.
“Over the last few months, eSports has risen even further in acclaim. We have discussed the idea for a long time and are now convinced that it is the right moment for us to engage with the eSports market and assimilate with a new generation of fans by adapting to their trends and values. This initiative is a good opportunity to show that although tradition is a hallmark of SV Werder, we are not bound nor limited by it.” said chairman of the board, Klaus Filbry.
“We decided upon FIFA because it allows for a crossover between the real and virtual worlds of football. In our view, it’s a very reasonable step. With the initiative, we want to reinforce our long tradition as a forward-thinking, digital capital”, said Dominik Kupilas, who is running the eSports project as leader of content and digital marketing at SV Werder.
Wiesenhof follows as main sponsor
SV Werder will rely on the support of Wiesenhof from the outset of its engagement with eSports. The longstanding shirt sponsor of the Green-Whites will follow the club into the eSports world and feature as their main sponsor. “We consider SV Werder’s involvement in eSports to be worthwhile and significant. SV Werder has shown itself to be consistently engaging and innovative in the digital world. We didn’t have to deliberate long before deciding to make the leap with them. Gamers also need high-quality protein and so we have many such options to offer”, stated Dr. Ingo Stryck, marketing director at Wiesenhof. Stryck continued, “eSports professionals rely heavily on physical and mental fitness to achieve their success.”
SV Werder has received strategic support on the topic of the eSPORTS industry from sports marketing agency Infront. Once actively involved, the Green-Whites will work together with the renowned agency “STARK eSports” and will utilise the wealth of experience that the Bochum-based agency has to offer. Alongside their strategic support and knowledge-sharing, STARK will assist SV Werder Bremen in their team management and the running of their social media channels. In order to keep followers informed about developments and engage them with entertaining content, the Werder eSports division will launch their own Twitter, Instagram and Facebook profiles. The players’ profiles themselves will also give a hugely interesting insight into the virtual world of Green-White eSports.
What are eSports?
The term eSports refers to organised, competitive video game events in single or multiplayer modes, with a concrete set of rules. It requires abilities like hand-eye coordination and concentration as well as strategic and tactical understanding. The various eSports disciplines differ in terms of the fundamental mechanics of each game. Alongside sport simulations like FIFA, there are also strategy and first-person shooter games under the eSports umbrella. The eSport Bund Deutschland e.V (ESBD) has organised eSport events in Germany and represented the industry’s professionals since November 2017.
