David Beckham and Esports

David Beckham, a famous soccer star, has invested heavily in Esports?  He assumed a co-owner position in a respected esports company.  

The company, Guild Esports, had plans of floating an esports academy program for young players, and the sports star would help in mentoring and coaching the young esports players.  

Guild Esports aimed to raise 30 million USD. David Beckham and the Blue Star Capital will also be funding the company.  

In 2019, the soccer star established his media company names Studio 99.  Apart from that, he is the president and co-owner of the soccer operations of the MLC Club.

Furthermore, Guild Esports aims to raise a sum of £20m via its shares on the London Stock Market Exchange.  Guild Esports is the first company in the United company that allows fans to be involved financially by backing its team of gamers with money.  

There has been a rise in the number of esports fans during the pandemic period. As such, the number of people watching video games has increased significantly.  Guild Esports is planning to field its team in international competitions, including CS: GO, Fortnite, Rocket League, and Fifa. 

Note that sponsorship and money that go into esports are significantly high, running into 100. Some event attracted more than 100 million spectators, which is more than those watching some of the major sporting events like the Tour de France and Wimbledon. 

David Beckham was not the first footballer to recognize the potential opportunities in esports; Gareth Bale also recently launched his esports company.  He named it Ellevens Esports.  

Another news was that David Beckham is set to earn about £15m, a video gaming company after a stock market afloat. It was gathered that the esports company is the first firm to enlist its shares on the London Stock Market Exchange.  

The Esports company will pay the football star as a social media influencer responsible for promoting the firm on different social media sites.  

The Football star company, Footwork production, will be paid at least £15.3 million over the next five years.  Based on its prospectus agreement, Beckham’s company will get 15pc of the company’s sponsorship revenue and merchandising proceeds. 

Apart from that, he also exchanged 4.8pc of its shares for an investment of £246 000. The company has assigned Dave Gardner to oversee the interest of the sports star.  

Guild Esports was established in June, and it has been helping professional video game players to manage their careers effectively.  

David Beckham is the fourth-largest shareholder in the company after the float, alongside other stakeholders like Toro Consulting and Blue Star capital. 

According to the company, the money realized will be used to recruit fresh players and expand its esports markets in the next season. 

Players generate revenue via events and promotional tours, sponsorship deals, tournament prize money, and merchandise.  

As mentioned earlier, the number of esports increases significantly during the pandemic. Therefore, it is one of the sports that is not affected by the lockdown.