The eSports industry is an ever-growing sector coming into its own during the pandemic. According to a study carried out by consultancy Newzoo, Spain is one of the countries in which the consumption of electronic sports increased the most during the coronavirus crisis, with global audiences exceeding 500 million viewers. This in turn has led to an increase in revenue from sponsorship and audiovisual rights, among other areas.

Valencia CF have been pioneers in this regard, and in 2016 became the first LaLiga club to have their own eSports section, two years before LaLiga eSports was created.

“The project was created with a clear aim of providing a service to our fans. Our main objective is for Valencianistas to be represented in eSports tournaments and competitions, just as they are in football. Obviously, it also served us as a marketing tool to expand our brand into 'non-football territory'. It allows us to reach strategic markets for the club and, above all, 5 years ago it made us a commercially different option to the rest,”says Juan Carlos Sahuquillo from Valencia CF, who has seen the eSports division grow since its inception.

This year it will once again compete in the eLaLiga official competition, in which they will play the EA SPORTS FIFA 21 game. The tournament is organised by LaLiga and Electronic Arts and is a new boost for promotion of the discipline among professional football clubs.

“In addition to focusing on soccer games, we wanted to venture into the 'cult' eSports games, such as League of Legends, Hearthstone, Fortnite or Clash Royale,” says Sahuquillo.

“We were the first football club to have an exclusive eSports shirt, thanks to the collaboration with PUMA. The garment can be purchased in the official store. We have also been the first club to have found a main sponsor, and in 2019 we were the exclusive Playstation team in Spain, creating a FIFA20 global event that hosted the finals at Mestalla.”

Among the objectives is to reach an audience that goes beyond the club's season ticket holders. The majority of eSports fans are aged between 14 and 25 years old, creating potential customers that can mean new ways of receiving income.

The eLaLiga Santander tournament reinforces the commitment to maintaining a new avenue of entertainment that is complementary to the official competition. LaLiga was the first major European sports competition to open an account on Twitch, where Valencia CF also have a presence.

 “We think that eSports are competition, but we have realised that it is becoming more and more a source of entertainment. There are a lot of fans who dream of being gamers, but most are looking to have fun. We are looking for new profiles that are not purely eSports players, but rather ‘influencers’ within the sector, to find that balance between competition and show,” explains Sahuquillo.