Tottenham Hotspur is the latest traditional sporting organisation to be linked with a participating team in the Overwatch League, according to a report from The Sun. London Spitfire, the Overwatch franchise owned by Cloud9 through investment, is in talks with multiple major sporting teams – with Spurs being one of them.
London Spitfire’s President, Dan Fiden, said in the report: “We have not made a partnership with anyone yet. We have had conversations with a number of teams, Tottenham is one of them. They are an incredibly impressive organisation and what they’re doing in the development is awesome.”
The Premier League football club is currently going through a monstrous redevelopment, including the building of a brand new stadium worth £750m. It’s said that the London-based team is planning to have a state-of-the-art theater dedicated to esports in the new stadium, which would be ideal for a new team such as the Spitfire. “They really want to invest in the community in a way that is important for us when we think about partnerships,” Fiden continued. “I think what we intend to do in London has to opportunity not just to make a single space that has our branding.”
Tottenham Hotspur would be one of a handful of sports teams with ties to the Overwatch League. The New England Patriots’ CEO Robert Kraft owns Boston Uprising and New York Jets’ CCO Jeff Wilpon owns New York Excelsior. The League commenced on January 10, and is one of the biggest franchising attempts in esports yet – it’s no wonder businessmen from different industries, including sports, are paying attention.
After the first season of the Overwatch League plays out, teams will be required to have their own stadiums and arenas to play in. It’s not too far of a stretch to imagine, that if this partnership does take place, London Spitfire could host its matches in Tottenham Hotspur’s new facility. The team emerged victorious in its first two games of the season, beating both Florida Mayhem and Philadelphia Fusion.
Esports Insider says: It’s exciting to see English sports teams getting involved in esports, we look forward to (potentially) seeing London Spitfire host teams in Spurs’ new ground next season. Whether or not it will become an official viewing venue, or a mainstay arena when the teams finally move over remains to be seen. It’s all just rumours at the moment but Spurs new state-of-the-art facility could well fit the bill.