When Juan Carlos Sahuquillo decided to launch Valencia football club’s eSports team in 2016, he found himself in uncharted territory. It was not difficult to see why. After all, no other club in LaLiga had ever attempted such a venture before.
With no proven results, it was impossible to know if such an idea would be feasible, let alone profitable, in the long run. Since there were no clear paths to follow, he decided to carve out his own.
“The main objective was to reach out to young fans on game streaming platforms and expose them to the Valencia brand,” said the brand manager and head of eSports at Valencia football club.
In 2019, Valencia football club was the 16th most influential brand in the eSports industry. Not only are they the first club in LaLiga to have a complete team of eSports players, but they are also the first to feature a primary sponsor and have an official team jersey separate from the first team.
“Having an eSports team allows us to expand our brand beyond the traditional football and strategic commercial sector and reach out to communities in Europe and other territories.”
A head above the crowd
The numbers have been impressive. In 2019/2020, Valencia’s eSports team garnered nearly 500 million impressions online with more than 10 million views across game streaming channels. It also boasts nearly 23,000 followers on Twitter – the highest fellowship across eSports teams in LaLiga.
It was this ability to command a global presence that allowed the team to score a sponsorship deal with sports nutrition company Powergym in 2019 – the first eSports-specific sponsor affiliated with a LaLiga club.
Other teams are beginning to realise the power of eSports. In 2017, the first edition of the eLaLiga Santander competition comprised of 10 clubs. In 2021, the competition featured 38 LaLiga clubs — the most to date.
“There is a great parallel between football fans and eSports fans,” said Sahuquillo. “The level of passion, interest and age demographics in the eSports industry make them ideal audiences for football clubs and for companies hoping to advertise their brands. Our goal is to bring the magic of the Valencia brand to fans across the world using the power of eSports.”
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