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| Bren eSports CEO Bernard Lu Chong and United City FC CEO Neil Gottschalk smiling and shaking hands after forging a partnership agreement leading to the formation of UCFC eSports (Image Source: INQUIRER.net) |
United City Football Club (UCFC), the four-time Philippines Football League (PFL) champion which is slated to defend the title next season as United Clark FC, has officially unveiled its eSports division named UCFC eSports as a testament to the club's commitment to be the best in Asia whether it be on the football field or in the professional gaming environment. Staying true to its mission of inspiring the next generation of fans and followers of professional sports, the expansion makes UCFC the first professional football club in the Philippines to venture into the world of professional gaming.
“The global growth of esports has been tremendous, and we are fortunate that the Philippines’ eSports scene is growing rapidly, which paves a great path for us to take on this venture,” said UCFC CEO Eric Gottschalk considering that there are more than 45 million gamers in the Philippines with key titles such as DOTA 2 and Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) among others garnering over ten million followers and several gamers and gaming squads competing in organized competitions both locally and globally. “We are very serious about expanding our horizons to a younger demographic, and we set out to replicate the sporting success of our football division, with our esports division to adhere to the same mission and values that the club has already established. We are further excited to bring professional gaming with us as part of our LGU partnership with Clark City and the Pampanga and Tarlac region – a sport that has seen tremendous growth, support, and interest by the local communities.”
In their pursuit of excellence in developing champions, UCFC eSports tapped the white label eSports management services of BrenPro Inc., owner and hoperator of a premiere eSports organization in the Philippines Bren eSports which is also known to have one of the biggest eSports training facilities in Southeast Asia. Gottschalk explained, “We tapped BrenPro’s eSports management services as we identified them to be the right partners for us to create and develop champions which will allow us to emulate our success in football. Their values, mission, and vision for the development of the Esports community in the Philippines, in general, align very well with our ambitions as a sports organization, and we would like to thank the team of BrenPro for their support and commitment to helping us establishing a competitive eSports division in such a short period of time.” For Bren eSports CEO Bernard Lu Chong, “Our formula for success is that we instill excellence in every step of the way, which enables us to groom and develop future esports champions. We are definitely committed and confident that we can guide and shape UCFC Esports to be a leading esports contender not just locally but globally.”
For its maiden entry into professional gaming, UCFC eSports will focus on four major eSports titles which are identified as relevant in the current local eSports scene. These are VALORANT, League Of Legends Wild Rift, Mobile Legends Bang Bang and FIFA 2021. The official roster for each eSports title will be announced on UCFC eSports' official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ucfcesports) while a dedicated fan membership and a jersey design contest are slated to be UCFC eSports' initial engagements with its new communities of fans.
