Riot Games has announced probably one of the biggest moves this year in local esports as AFL (Australian Football League) club Adelaide Crows picking up Legacy Esports. The acquisition of Legacy Esports makes it the first traditional sports club to secure an esports team in the Oceania region.
Andrew Fagan, Adelaide Crows Chief Executive has mentioned:
“Across the globe there are sporting clubs, billionaire investors and athletes becoming involved with a view to growing their brand and reach, driving commercial outcomes and engaging with new fans.”
“We will bring our expertise in elite and professional sport to support the high performance development of the Legacy players who are driven to achieve success in their field. We will also devote resources to support the growth of the Legacy brand and their ability to engage effectively with their passionate fan base.”
Tim ‘Carbon’ Wendel, Legacy Esports LoL Captain has mentioned:
“This is a landmark day for esports and we are ecstatic to start working with the Adelaide Football Club. I have always been a Crows fan so it is an honour to be part of such a prestigious club and to develop Legacy eSports into a sport powerhouse, just like the Adelaide Crows.”
This move is another massive milestone for Oceania further developing the local esports industry growing the exposure for the scene. Adelaide Crows FC joins the ranks of international traditional sports giants such as the Philadelphia 76ers and F.C.Copenhagen jumping into the esports scene.
Riot Games has also announced that the Oceanic Pro League (OPL) Split Two will start from the 10th June 2017 where the competing teams will battle it out for a spot at the 2017 OPL Grand Final Championship and the opportunity to attend the 2017 League of Legends World Championship.