The world of sports has embraced video game tournaments as a way to engage fans, attract sponsors, and revitalize their activities. In this article, we will explore how several sports federations and clubs have integrated esports into their strategies.
Portuguese Football Federation
In 2017, the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) established its own esports division to support and promote competitive video gaming in the country. The federation created the FPP platform, a centralized hub for efootball video game fans in Portugal. The platform offers regular tournaments and leagues in various formats, including duel, 2vs2, women-only, and clubs, using Toornament’s API and management software.
The most significant tournaments culminate in live events that are broadcast on the RTP Arena Twitch channel, and the PFF website features an integrated tournament bracket using Toornament widgets. Additionally, the platform serves as a source of information for all news related to esports football in Portugal.
French Football Federation
The French Football Federation (FFF) joined the esports scene in 2021 by organizing its own video game competition using FIFA. This initiative allows licensees to represent their clubs in eFootball tournaments held across France. The FFF collaborates with its leagues, districts, and local clubs to communicate with licensees and organize tournaments.
To support these efforts, the FFF released a guide to help clubs structure their practice and have a designated eFootball representative in each region. The 2023 edition of the eCup involved 60 districts in the departmental qualification stage and 15 leagues in total. More than 70 tournaments took place nationwide, with 15 winners ultimately reaching the national final held at the Clairefontaine National Football Center and the Stade de France.
The FFF relied on Toornament’s no-code website builder to create the eCup site and display competition data, such as tournament lists, participant lists, and results. Local district staff organized the qualifications using Toornament’s management software, seamlessly integrating them into the official competition website.
French Basketball Federation
The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) diversified its offerings by entering the world of esports in 2020. It established FFBB Esports as a dedicated section on its website, explaining the fundamentals of esports and providing advice to clubs on how to develop their own esports initiatives. The FFBB launched the Hoops League and Hoops Cup, both centered around the video game Rocket League, which combines car driving and basketball elements.
These competitions, open to licensees and non-licensees, feature regular leagues and team-based tournaments with two players per team. Some editions saw participation from over 100 teams. All matches are broadcast live on the Twitch streaming platform, including the official FFBB channel and partner channels specializing in Rocket League.
Toornament’s competition management software has been the go-to choice for the FFBB, enabling the organization of 37 tournaments with over 1400 participants in just three years.
Professional Football Clubs
In addition to sports federations, professional football clubs have also recognized the value of video game tournaments in engaging fans and attracting sponsors. Two prominent examples are:
FC Nantes Football Club
The FC Nantes Football Club organized a FIFA 23 tournament for its members, offering them a chance to win VIP seats, jerseys, and other goodies. The tournament culminated in the final matches being played in the Fan Zone of the Beaujoire stadium, preceding a professional football league match.
Clermont Foot 63 Club
The Clermont Foot 63 Club created a gaming area within its stadium to host video game events. One of its notable events was a Rocket League tournament held earlier this year. The tournament started online, with the final played in front of spectators at the CLERMONT-REIMS match.
Regardless of whether sports organizations need to organize tournaments, create competition websites, or develop comprehensive platforms, Toornament offers the necessary tools for their esports strategies. Sports federations, clubs, and marketing agencies interested in gaming projects can contact the Toornament team at [email protected].