Ligue 1 & EA Launch Esports Competition
The League de Football Professionnel (LFP), the governing body that runs major professional leagues in Franace, has teamed up with Electronic Arts’ (EA) sports division to launch e-Ligue 1 eSports competition.
The nationwide competition will feature representatives of all 20 top tier clubs, who will play FIFA 17 against each other. Every club will have a player for Xbox and a player for the PS4 consoles.
All players then compete in a championship from November to January, then another in February to March, before play-offs determine the finalists in May 2017.
Media partners are also being identified as part of a consultation process according to the LFP.
LFP, executive general manager, Didier Quillot, said: “This agreement between a sports institution and a video game publisher is a great first in French and European sport.
“eSports is growing in value and becoming a real market in terms of media rights, sponsorship, ticketing and merchandising. We are very happy to create an innovative project that will provide a source of new revenue and exposure for our clubs.”
