Team EndPoint have become the first UK esports organisation to add an amateur football team to their ranks.
FC EndPoint will be playing in the South Yorkshire Amateur Football League, and hope to pick up more fans for their esports teams in the league.
They have brought on board some local grassroots talent in the area, plus some of their CSGO esports players may be swapping their keyboards for football boots to play the occasional game.
EndPoint CEO Adam Jessop – a long-time Sheffield Wednesday fan – said he’s moved into traditional sports partly because of the difficult esports environment right now.
“The move into football for us is not as strange as some may think,” Adam told Esports News UK.
“If football can come into esports, why can’t esports go into football? So far the reception has been brilliant, the players are paying regular subs for their training and jerseys, they have some fantastic domestic tournaments and are regularly seeing a lot of exposure in the local press.
“If football can come into esports, why can’t esports go into football?”
“Getting a sponsor has proven to be a lot easier too due to the public understanding of football, not sure why I didn’t think of this sooner,” Adam added.
“We look forward to working with the lads and will be holding trials for a solid holding midfielder soon, although Ian “Immi” Harding has expressed an interest in the position.”
Adam said EndPoint were inspired after the name of their CSGO player Benjamin “Esio” Doughty, as ‘Esio’ sounds like the ‘Golazo’ saying from the ’90s.
In terms of partners, Gamers Apparel has struck a deal with EndPoint and will be producing the 2017 jersey for FC EndPoint.
EndPoint have also already secured an upcoming shirt sponsor for the team: local adult store The Naughty Company.
A Naughty Company spokesperson added: “This is a great partnership for us and we’re excited to tap into the growing esports market.
“We can’t wait to see EndPoint’s players get down and dirty.”
Sheffield football legend Chris Waddle has even joined as a voluntary advisory to FC EndPoint to help save them from the difficult UK esports scene.
EndPoint are also on the hunt for a pro FIFA player to complement their new football team, and are currently taking crowd chant submissions. You can email them in here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
