Top Cape Town sports teams to participate in Esports competition

EsportSA has been working closely with traditional sports brands over the past few months in efforts to pull traditional sports into the digital realm and is now proud to announce the #3teams1city Super Challenge.

JOHANNESBURG - The DHL Stormers, Cape Cobras and Cape Town City FC are set to play in the EsportSA #3teams1city Super Challenge commencing in June.

Live events have been cancelled and seasons suspended. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the most significant disruption to the worldwide sporting calendar since World War II. Although some training and leagues have resumed, there is no clear indication of when sport as we know it will return.

EsportSA has been working closely with traditional sports brands over the past few months in efforts to pull traditional sports into the digital realm and is now proud to announce the #3teams1city Super Challenge. This competition, the first in a series of planned provincial championships, will see players from the DHL Stormers, Cape Cobras and Cape Town City FC come head-to-head with its fans as well as South African Fifa 20 competitors.

“This will be a great way to bring all the fans across sporting codes together for friendly competition on a virtual platform while ensuring the brands transcend traditional boundaries and be available in homes across South Africa (and potentially across the world.) It also provides the more competitive gamers a platform to showcase their talents and be recognised by some of the biggest traditional sporting brands in the country,” said Junaid Moerat, Founder of EsportSA.

Over the course of eight weeks, Fifa 20 online qualifiers will be held on X-Box One and PlayStation 4, with the finals being hosted live at a Cape Town-based venue. These qualifiers will be split into three parts - running concurrently: The DHL Stormers challenge, the Citizens challenge and the Cape Cobras challenge. This will give fans - as well as amateur, semi-pro and pro-Fifa 20 players - the chance to enter online and compete for the top 8 spots challenge where they will represent their respective teams in the #3teams1city Super Challenge.

Brand and Sponsorship Manager of the Cape Cobras, David Brooke said: “With the nationwide lockdown taking place during our traditional off-season months, it’s important for our players to continuously engage with our supporters. Whilst traditional social media platforms have been the platforms of choice to date, by exposing our brand to the esports audience, it allows us to engage in a platform, which we all know has huge potential in our constantly evolving sports industry. To partner with our brothers at Cape Town City FC and the DHL Stormers, it continues our endeavours as three of the biggest sports teams in our city to play as one.”

Cape Cobras players confirmed for the #3teams1city Cape Cobras Esports Challenge are George Linde (Protea), Kyle Vrreynne (Protea), Imraan Manack, Janneman Malan (Protea), Nandre Burger, Isma-eel Gafieldien.

“Having some of our fans go up against the likes of Thamsanqa Mkhize, Kermit Erasmus and Thabo Nodada in The Citizens Esports Challenge, creates another dimension for fan engagement directly with our players,” said Cape Town City’s Commercial Director, Michel Comitis.

“It’s amazing to have Cape Town’s three premium sports organisations City, DHL Stormers and Cobras unite in this esports initiative. With a fast-growing fanbase, esports represents a new way for us to allow the public to engage with the club, our pro athletes, and each other. The three teams have worked regularly together in our communities, so with the current COVID-19 restrictions we can continue this interaction with our Capetonians at home, safely, through the #3teams1city Super Challenge.”

Zelt Marais, WPRFU president, said: “This tournament will provide a unique value proposition to our stakeholders. It promises to engage fans faithful to the DHL Stormers, as well as engaging fans of soccer, cricket and esports. The #3teams1City Super Challenge will also create new opportunities for our sponsors to reach new and exciting audiences.”

The DHL Stormers faithful can look forward to showing off their Fifa 20 skills against the likes of Scarra Ntubeni, Juarno Augustus, Jaco Coetzee, Daniel du Plessis and David Kriel in the DHL Stormers Esports Challenge.

Dates for the EsportSA #3teams1city Super Challenge will be announced in the next week with all-tournament facilitation managed by South African esports stalwarts ACGL.