Beckham takes stake in newly launched Guild eSports
June 26, 2020
Guild, a new global eSports business headquartered in London and co-owned by David Beckham, has announced its global launch amid a booming global eSports market.
Guild is developing a talent pipeline in the UK based on the traditional academy model, which will see the most able players coached and nurtured by industry leaders in order to attain the skillset required to compete professionally. A roster of scouts will continually find and sign the best young talent.
Guild says it is well placed to enter this market having established a management team of esports veterans with experience as professional players, coaches and in the esports media. Guild Executive Chairman, Carleton Curtis, is an industry heavyweight and architect of the Overwatch League and Call Of Duty Leagues. Prior to joining Guild he held senior esports roles at Activision Blizzard and Red Bull. His expertise dovetails with Beckham’s position in the world of mainstream sports to create a unique esports proposition.
Guild will scale into various esports disciplines over the course of the 2020/21 season, its inaugural team will make its debut in autumn this year and its professional athletes can expect to compete in the most popular titles including Rocket League, EA Sports’ FIFA, and Fortnite. The Guild Esports brand will celebrate and harness the diverse and tribal loyalty of esports enthusiasts on a global scale. The Company’s ambition is to build a culture of excellence around its brand and digital presence.
Curtis commented: “The meteoric rise of esports shows no signs of slowing down and this is the perfect moment for Guild Esports to enter this exciting market. We have built an experienced management team and I am proud to have David Beckham as co-owner in this venture as his professionalism and deep experience of developing highfunctioning sports teams aligns with our core strategy of building the best in class esports teams. At Guild Esports, David will be instrumental in helping shape the coaching programme implemented at our academies and we welcome his valuable mentoring as well as the inspiration he gives the younger generation of athletes. Esports is already one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth and will continue to grow globally as excitement, accessibility and knowledge of the sector soars. Guild looks forward to playing a big role in the future of this growing community.”
Beckham added: “Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to work with players at the top of their game, and I’ve seen first-hand the passion and dedication it takes to play at that level. I know that determination lives in our esports athletes today and at Guild we have a vision to set a new standard, supporting these players into the future. We are committed to nurturing and encouraging youth talent through our academy systems and I am looking forward to helping our Guild Esports team grow.”