Manchester City has signed up a hot shot 18-year-old, but he’s not a footballer.
Kieran “Kez” Brown from York joins City as the club’s first e-player. He will represent the team at eSports tournaments as a professional EA Sports FIFA gamer.
“It’s exciting, it’s something new for the club and it’s something new for me,” said Mr Brown.
“I’m going to live stream on Twitch, I’m going to be making videos for Manchester City’s YouTube channel and I’m going to be playing some City fans and representing City in future tournaments, which I’m looking forward to.”
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Diego Gigliani, vice-president of media and innovation at Manchester City, said: “As e-sports continues to gain momentum, it makes sense for our club to be part of the action and get closer to our fans, who love playing EA Sports FIFA as Manchester City.
“We will be a bigger presence at gaming tournaments, we will have more content through our digital channels and we will activate even more with our fans at matches and club events.”
In May, West Ham signed up their first FIFA player, Sean “Dragonn” Allen. A number of top flight clubs, which see eSports as a lucrative spin-off, are now eager to recruit talented gamers.
Esports has quickly grown to become a huge industry with top players travelling the world and earning millions of pounds.