After a seventh-placed finish in the inaugural season of the eight-team competition, Essendon, one of the first Australian Football Clubs to adopt an eSports roster, will look to re-set and search for a whole new team.

Christian ‘Sleeping’ Tiensuu, Sebastian ‘Seb’ De Ceglie, Carlo ‘Looch’ La Civita, Alan ‘Tiger’ Roger and Andrew ‘Rosey’ Rose were all given their marching orders after falling ‘well short of expectations’, according to Nathan Mathews, the head of the club’s eSports team.

• Learn everything you need to know about betting and profiting on League of Legends

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players for their service to the organisation over the last one to three years and wish them the best of luck moving forward,” Mathews told Essendonfc.com.au.

“The players will also be remembered as important members of the organisation, but it is now time for us to finish the chapter and begin writing a new one. To all of our fans, we thank you for your continued support, the best is yet to come.”

Perhaps adding salt to Essendon’s wounds and triggering the roster clean-out was the performance of the other AFL club in the tournament, the Adelaide Crows, finishing third in an impressive display.

2018 is the first year in which AFL clubs have competed in professional eSports leagues. A number of clubs have been mooted to join the charge and take a slice of the ever-growing eSports industry.

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Scheduled for November, the League of Legends: League of Origin tournament will see the top gamers in the Oceanic Pro League (OPL) compete for their home regions in a State of Origin-style contest.

The agreement includes provisions for the construction of a purpose-built esports studio in Melbourne, while the AFL and Riot will join forces to further promote and develop League of Legends competitions in Australia and New Zealand.

“Esports is one of the most exciting emerging industries to come in and disrupt the traditional sports landscape,” said Darren Birch, the AFL’s General Manager of Growth, Digital and Audience.

“Riot are a respected and credible leader in this space, and this event will be a great opportunity to continue together on that path. We will bring our expertise and insight to the competition, giving all-star players an opportunity to play with different teams, play in a different tournament structure and in a completely different venue environment.

“Our vision is to progress the game of AFL and continue to help fans share in the experience of footy. Working with Riot is one step towards us learning new ways to connect with fans and enhance the complete digital experience.”

The AFL already enjoys strong ties with the OPL, where both the Adelaide Football Club and the Essendon Football Club have their own esports teams.

More clubs are expected to follow suit in the coming years, with Carlton and Collingwood already exploring the possibility.

“We’re excited to continue to learn and lead in this space with our new partner, Riot, and to work with our two AFL clubs already in this space, Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers, to build out player pathways and opportunities,” Birch added.

According to Daniel Ringland, Head of Oceanic Esports for Riot Games, the AFL’s reputation as a trail blazer made the partnership a natural fit.

“The AFL is a world class league, and leads Australian sport in many key areas,” he said.

“From fan engagement through to player welfare and development, they’re the gold standard. We aspire to the same levels of excellence for our pro players and fans of League of Legends esports, so a strategic partnership makes absolute sense.

“The AFL and Riot are culturally aligned, both being firm believers in putting the fan and player experience first. We’re excited to be paving the way for esports fans in Oceania.”

Dates, venues and other details regarding the LOL League of Origin tournament will be released in the next few weeks.

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It started last year on an acquisition note, when the Crows went public with their plans to acquire Legacy Esports. Now it is gaining momentum.

They became the first AFL club – no, the first professional sports organization in Australia, to get involved with esports.

Now a second club within the AFL has stepped up to the plate by purchasing an esports team. Essendon is showing sports enthusiastes within the country that they are ready to tow the path of esports and make a success of it. Now, both Essendon and Adelaide Crows are squaring off against each other for the very first time in the Oceanic Pro League this weekend.

AFC COO Nigel Smart Says He Knew Nothing of Esports 18 Months Ago

Nigel Smart, Chief Operating Officer of AFC said the Crows have been competing in the AFL for the past 26 years. He said the Crows can use the experience to make esports a success in Australia. Needless to add that the AFC acquired Legacy Esports, and it is making long strides since the acquisition.

To drive home this point, Legacy Esports signed an agreement with Nielsen Sports and Samsung recently. They also went ahead to purchase Overwatch team Stunner Meal with Caramel Sundae on February 15.

The amateur esports team with a funny name made it to the Overwatch Contender Series via the open division. Beginning March 12, Overwatch players will compete in the series for a $4 million prize, played in seven regions across the globe.

Smart said he knew nothing about esports previously, but learning has helped him to acquire considerable knowledge of esports before the acquisition. About 35 per cent of AFL fans revealed in a survey they do not understand anything about esports, even though they have heard of Legacy before.

Today, Smart and his 12-year-old son have learned a lot about esports from Legacy.

Crows are open to helping other clubs enter esports arena

Smart explained the Crows shaped Essendon’s entry into esports, and they would be glad to help other sporting organizations do the same.

“If we can help sporting teams get into esports, we do that, we offer advice and we tell them our story, we kind of cut out the bullshit and go ‘esports is an opportunity’ and we take them through the journey if we can help,” he said.

While the Adelaide Crows succeeded in buying Legacy Esports, Essendon followed suit by buying and rebranding Abyss. Essendon’s acquisition of Abyss created the new Bombers LoL team.

Both teams will be playing against each other this weekend for the first time in the OPL.

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