The e-County Cup provides an opportunity for members of Surrey’s football community to compete off the pitch during the national lockdown.
ESA member Surrey FA are set to launch the first-ever e-County Cup, embracing the growing demand for e-Sports participation across the country. This bold step marks the latest move by the innovative County FA to engage with their clubs and participants.
With this, Surrey FA becomes the first County FA to make the jump into the world of e-Sports.
The e-County Cup looks to provide Surrey’s existing grassroots players, supporters and volunteers with a chance to show off their gaming skills and bring pride to their clubs and communities.
The competition will also allow for both male and female players compete against one another, in a manner not yet seen on the football pitch for those over the age of 18. This offers a fantastic opportunity for the charitable organisation to promote their key values of equality and inclusion within all forms of football.
Commenting on the launch of the competition, James Chadwick, Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Surrey FA, stated:
“We are excited to be leading the way by entering into the world of e-Sports and hope that our e-County Cup will provide an opportunity for those within our community to stay engaged with football and take pride in representing their clubs and local area. We are expecting to see some friendly competition to determine which players have the honour of representing their clubs. Clearly, we are disappointed that we are not seeing live grassroots football taking place during this national lockdown. However, e-Sports provides a level playing field for anyone to get involved in football – and perhaps some will even be inspired to pick up a pair of football boots and get active as a result of the Cup.”
The competition will run from February, starting with preliminary rounds, all the way to the finals which will be held at Meadowbank Football Ground the 16th of May. The finals will be live-streamed on the Surrey FA YouTube channel, subject to current restrictions being eased, allowing for an in-person event to be staged safely indoors.
Participants must be part of a grassroots club affiliated to Surrey FA, own a copy of FIFA 21 and have access to a PS4 or PS5 console to complete tournament fixtures. Entrants must be aged 14 years or older to take part.
The registration is now open and will close on Friday 5th of February 2021.
For further details on the tournament and to sign-up, visit: bit.ly/sfa-esports21
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Notes to Editors:
For further details, please contact: Marcus Tyler, Marketing and Communications Assistant at Surrey FA, on telephone number: 07809 409 215 or via email Marcus.Tyler@surreyfa.com.
About Surrey FA
Surrey FA is a charitable organisation, responsible for leading the development of grassroots football within Surrey, ensuring participation and enjoyment of football is for all. It is responsible for governing grassroots clubs, leagues, players and match officials across the county. Surrey FA seeks to improve opportunities and engagement for children and adults across the county and strives to positively influence participation for all in football regardless of age, ability, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion and socio-economic status.