The AFL and Riot Games have today announced that they’ll be bringing a massive gaming tournament to Melbourne in November.
The partnership will bring a League of Legends tournament to a Melbourne Stadium (likely to be Etihad Stadium) where players will take part in League of Origins, which sees teams across both the OPL and OCS represent their regions.
The confirmation of dates and venues is yet to come, but it’s definitely one of the bigger esports stories that Australia has seen with the AFL showing that they’re very interested in investing in the scene.
Here’s what the AFL General Manager of Growth, Digital and Audience, Darren Birch had to said:
“Esports is one of the most exciting emerging industries to come in and disrupt the traditional sports landscape. Riot are a respected and credible leader in this space, and this event will be a great opportunity to continue on that path. We will bring our expertise and insight to the competition, giving all-star players an opportunity to play with different teams, play in a different tournament structure and in a radically different venue environment.”
“Our vision is to progress the game of AFL and continue to help fans share in the experience of footy. Working with Riot is one step towards us learning new ways to connect with fans and enhance the complete digital experience.”
“We’re excited to continue to learn and lead in this space with our new partner, Riot, and to work with our two AFL clubs already in this space, Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers, to build out player pathways and opportunities.”
