AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth’s first-ever Weekend Clash was a huge success as the club took their first steps into the world of esports.
Launching a new online campaign, the club introduced the Red Arm-e, a new esports community for anyone of any ability to take part in.
Welcoming over 200 players, the FIFA 21 tournament was hosted on PS4 and supporters were able to interact using discord as the action took place over Saturday and Sunday.
The free tournament, powered by esports powerhouse Ultimo GG, offered the club an opportunity to interact with supporters during the international break and lockdown period.
There were plenty of special prizes on offer too including a signed shirt, bespoke merchandise and the chance to play FIFA against Junior Stanislas, who was the resounding victory against Lloyd Kelly to face the winner.
The tournament was won by HarryJH who was victorious in four of his five games, including a huge 5-1 win and a tense triumph on penalties in the round of 16.
Harry said: “It was a really good feeling to win the tournament, I didn’t expect to make it very far, let alone winning the whole thing which was a bit of a shock!
“Whilst being in lockdown it was great to have an opportunity to play in a virtual tournament like this. It was fun to be matching up with other players especially at a time like this.
“My Ultimate Team consisted of Ter Stegen, Mukiele, Kounde, Lenglet, Alba, Sissoko, De Jong, Ben Yedder, Lucas, Dembele and Mbappe. I think all my opponents had better teams on paper than me but having Mbappe definitely helped, he won most of the games on his own for me with many last minute winners!
“I finished top of my group on Saturday, but I lost my first knock out game so went into the lower bracket of the tournament.
“I definitely wasn’t a favourite to win, but I went on to win all my games from there.
“I entered the tournament for a bit of fun which is what I think helped me win. There was no pressure to do well but the further I went on the more I wanted to win.
“It’s great that football clubs are starting to move into esports and setting up tournaments for anyone to enter. It gives players of all abilities a chance to prove themselves as it only takes one game to prove yourself where anything can happen.”
The club would like to thank everyone who took part and were pleased to receive plenty of positive feedback from the Red Arm-e.
Also, the club would like to additionally thank Ultimo GG for hosting the tournament.
