DreamHack in partnership with the Danish Superliga and Discovery Networks Denmark bringing top flight Danish football clubs to compete in national FIFA leaguea
Starting November 5, 2019, the best football clubs in Denmark will be competing on both the physical and virtual football pitch. In a groundbreaking national league, coined eSuperliga, teams from all Danish Superliga clubs will compete in EA SPORTS FIFA 19 as part of the Official League Qualifying events in the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series. The league will air on live tv and streaming, as the partners in the project aim to bring Danish esports to the next level and to new audiences.
Through a unique partnership between the broadcaster Discovery Networks Denmark, the best Danish football teams and esports production company DreamHack, the Danish top-flight Superliga, now has a an esport counterpart – eSuperliga.
The national league is the first of its kind and will feature a FIFA team from each of the major football clubs in Denmark, including e.g. F.C. Copenhagen, Brøndby IF and FC Midtjylland. Teams will be competing for a prize pool of over $50,000 which is the biggest ever in a Danish FIFA tournament.
“We are very proud to finally unveil the eSuperliga. Several of the biggest clubs in Denmark have been engaged in esports for some time, while for others this is a new ballgame. Therefore, we are very happy to have DreamHack on board, bringing years of international esports tournament experience to the table. We look forward to presenting FIFA esports with a quality, that matches a traditional TV broadcast”, says Claus Thomsen, President of the Danish top-flight football league, the Superliga.
News of the eSuperliga breaks shortly after it was announced, that one of the world’s most prolific FIFA players, Danish August “Agge” Rosenmeier, joins ranks with North, the esports affiliate of F.C. Copenhagen and Nordisk Film, which also lends name to one of the world’s best CS:GO teams.
“Several of the world’s top FIFA players are Danish but the cooperation between the Superliga, the football clubs and Discovery Networks Denmark is a precondition for making the eSuperliga a reality, and indeed presenting the talent to a wider audience. We are happy and proud to be a part of such a visionary project. With the Danish Superliga and Discovery, we are going to deliver FIFA esports on a new level”, says Marcus Lindmark, CEO and President of DreamHack, one of the world’s biggest esports production companies and gaming communities.
Streamed and aired on live TV
Danes will be able to follow the new eSuperliga on Discovery’s Danish streaming platform Dplay, while some of the biggest matches will be aired live on TV (Canal 9), including a studio broadcast with well-known sports presenters and a production setup, that matches those of regular football matches. Starting November 5th, 2018, the Danish viewers will be able to follow live FIFA matches with their favorite eSuperliga teams twice a week.
“We know that our streaming service Dplay attracts a younger audience which makes it the ideal launch pad for the new eSuperliga. Furthermore, we have chosen to air FIFA matches live on TV as well, to reach a wider target group who will hopefully also take this new branch of the sport to heart”, says Anders Antonsen, Director of Nordic Sports in Discovery Networks Denmark.
“It is an ambitious project which we hope will pave the way for similar endeavors around the world. Through our platforms as a sports broadcaster we ensure that esports will have a stronger presence in the football clubs and with the thousands of existing FIFA fans, while we also hope to build an even bigger fan base for esports and FIFA in Denmark”, Mr. Antonsen concludes.
Each eSuperliga team will consist of minimum two players and a coach. It is required that one of the players signs a professional contract with the club. Furthermore, Superliga and EA rules dictate that players must be 16 years of age before the start of the tournament on November 5th. , 2018. The eSuperliga is an Official League Qualifier on The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup.
Claus Thomsen,
CEO, Danish Superliga
+ 45 20 68 30 55
Lena Bøgild,
Press manager, Discovery Networks Danmark
lena_boegild@discovery.com
+45 20 43 29 19
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