Watford Football Club is delighted to announce a new partnership with eSports platform provider Rival to establish a new gaming community for Watford fans.

Utilising Rival’s technology, the ‘WatfordFC eSports Community’ will be a destination for ‘Hornets’ fans both in the UK and overseas to meet, compete, chat and earn rewards points that can be used to redeem exclusive team merchandise and partner prizes. The new platform will feature top titles such as FIFA, NBA 2K, Madden, F1 and many more – engaging both Xbox and PlayStation users through the cloud.

‘WatfordFC eSports Community’ will launch in December with an inaugural FIFA tournament held between Watford FC’s national and international supporters groups.

Presented by American Airlines, the tournament winner will receive club merchandise and opportunities to play against members of the Watford FC first-team squad.

Going forward, ‘WatfordFC eSports Community’ will host monthly tournaments with supporters and other clubs around the world. Outside of tournaments, gamers can log in at any time to compete in on-the-fly tournaments and participate in other interactive components. More information will follow on watfordfc.com and the club’s social media channels.

Hornets’ Commercial Director Paul O’Brien said of the innovative link-up: “We are delighted to partner with Rival and create an exciting new concept. The popularity and appeal of eSports as a cultural phenomenon continues to grow and Rival have the perfect platform to capitalise on this momentum.”

“In recent years, we have seen the dramatic rise of eSports in terms of popularity and participation, particularly the participation of young Watford fans.”

“We believe a dedicated community platform will give Watford fans everywhere the perfect opportunity to connect with new people across the world.”

“We are excited that Watford FC will become the first European sports team to launch a gaming community on the Rival platform”, said Rival EVP Global Brand & Sponsorships, Brian Dubiski. “The organisation’s ability to take an innovative approach in a growing area of interest will provide a new point of engagement for their fans.”