Aberdeen FC and leading gaming organisations will host its first esports tournament at Pittodrie Stadium on Friday 16 September.

Capitalising on the growing popularity for esports, the Club has teamed up with GAME, the UK’s leading games retailer and Belong, operators of the largest gaming arenas in the UK, to trial a FIFA22 tournament in Aberdeen.

Rob Wicks, Aberdeen FC’s Commercial Director, who initiated discussions on the event, said: “The team at Belong and GAME have a track record of delivering esports events with several top clubs and are the ideal partner to kick off our first foray into competitive gaming. Running this trial event will allow us to ascertain demand and then explore hosting bigger and more frequent tournaments that attract national and, potentially, global audiences.”

Gaming enthusiasts, along with spectators, are encouraged to attend the inaugural FIFA22 tournament at Pittodrie with 64  competitor slots going on sale (UPDATE: The competition is now fully sold out). Spectators can attend free of charge but are advised to arrive early as spaces are limited.

Refreshments including hot dogs, pies, confectionary and hot and cold drinks will be available to purchase during the event.

 

BOOK YOUR PLACE

 

PRIZES

Local gamers will be able to compete for cash prizes, signed AFC merchandise as well as “money-can’t-buy” experiences.

Spectators can attend for free and will be able to take part in gaming experiences offered by Belong, GT Omega and other partners, while competitors battle it out on the consoles.

THE TOURNAMENT

Belong have been delivering unforgettable grassroots esports experiences to gamers since 2016 but this is their first with a Scottish football club. John Loat, Business Development Manager at Belong, said: “We’re really looking forward to delivering Aberdeen FC’s inaugural esports tournament and are confident it will be a big success given the large gaming community in the North-east of Scotland.

“We’ve mapped out a tournament that will deliver on player experience with little dwell time between games. It’s set to be a fantastic trial event for the Club, allowing them to explore the demand for esports experiences among their fans.”

The event, to take place in the Richard Donald Stand Lounge at Pittodrie Stadium will begin at 4pm with player registrations and the tournament will get underway at 5pm, finishing up around 9pm.

REGISTRATION

Competitors can register here to enter for a fee of £5.

Spectators can attend free of charge but are advised to arrive early as spaces are limited.

This tournament is not affiliated with or sponsored by Electronic Arts Inc. or its licensors.

SINGLE SIGN ON

To book your place, the competitior needs to be booked in through the account of the person attending.

SIMPLIFY THE WAY THAT YOU INTERACT WITH THE CLUB ONLINE.

The Dons Account is a single online account which can be used to access the Club’s sites including our primary website (afc.co.uk), ticketing, retail and RedTV.

Only one account with one password is now required ensuring a more consistent experience when making purchases online and reducing the chances of forgetting passwords or usernames. Fans also now have greater control over how they hear from us through the preference centre.

You can find more information on single sign-on here.