Gfinity, a leading international esports entertainment group, today announced that football team, esports organization and YouTube channel, Hashtag United, has signed-up to the Elite Series for Season 3. Hashtag United will line-up against esports heavyweights including Fnatic, Vitality and Team Envy, battling it out for part of the £250,000 prize-pool when the tournament kicks-off on Friday 9th March at the Gfinity Esports Arena in London.
Hashtag United is no ordinary sports club. Founded by Spencer Owen in 2016, the amateur football team originally comprised of his friends who started filming their matches and releasing the footage online to hundreds of thousands of loyal fans. The team has gone on to play in front of 35,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, appear in popular video games including FIFA 18 and Top Eleven, secure a kit manufacturer and sponsorship deal and build a successful FIFA esports team. Hashtag United is now looking to bring its million-strong army of fans to the Gfinity Elite Series and expand their esports rosters to include Street Fighter V and Rocket League.
Hashtag United’s FIFA 18 team includes Harry Hesketh AKA Hashtag Harry, winner of Spencer FC’s own Game Academy tournament, which gave amateurs a chance to turn pro and was hosted at the Gfinity Esports Arena in 2016. Prior to Hashtag United’s opening match, gamers from Europe are invited to sign up for free to compete in the Challenger Series which will see the top players enter the Elite Draft in the hope of joining one of the 10 Elite Series teams’ active rosters. The teams will compete in a five-week regular season in a bid to make the play-offs which will be played over a three-week period.
“The signing of Hashtag United is further evidence of the success of the Elite Series and its appeal to multiple communities from real-world football and gaming,” said Neville Upton, CEO of Gfinity. “Hashtag United has a huge fanbase with incredible reach and the chance for amateur gamers to join their ranks and be part of their next venture is something that will excite all players who are competing in the Challenger Series.”
“I’m absolutely delighted that Hashtag United will be part of the Gfinity Elite Series as it’s where my own personal journey with esports began and, more importantly, where Hashtag United’s esports team was born through The Spencer FC Game Academy where we signed our first player, Harry Hesketh,” said Spencer Owen. “We now have the opportunity to branch out into other titles and I am looking forward to the Draft and to sign some new players to join the Hashtag family and represent us on FIFA 18, Rocket League and Street Fighter V. I can’t wait for this to start and for Hashtag United to be part of the Elite Series, hopefully picking up some trophies along the way!”