The new UK League Championship (UKLC), the official regional League of Legends competition for the UK, has been revealed.
And technically, the likes of Rekkles, Bwipo, and others from the Fnatic first team (and exceL first team for that matter) will be able to play in it.
Riot UK and LVP have spoken to Esports News UK about how higher-level LEC players will be able to play in European Regional Leagues (ERLs), including the new UK one.
Riot UK head of esports Mo Fadl said: “All LEC teams agreed that they will increase their division for the LEC – up to 10 members. Five of them will play on a regional level and they can shift between [LEC and UKLC], it’s a great way to get exposure for regional leagues. It’s an amazing opportunity.
“Imagine a not-as-famous team plays against Fnatic and they have a top LEC roster playing, imagine the opportunity the UK players have to play against world stars and maybe even beating them! That would be so good for their brand.”
“Imagine a not-as-famous team plays against Fnatic and they have a top LEC roster playing, imagine the opportunity the UK players have to play against world stars and maybe even beating them!”
Mo Fadl, Riot UK
One brand enjoying growth and exposure at the moment is exceL Esports, who have stepped up from the UK scene to the LEC.
Mo commented: “I’m super proud of exceL. What they’ve done as an organisation is amazing and I’m proud of the UK as well.”
While players can technically play in the LEC and the UK League in the same split, there are some regulations around this.
Mo added: “There’s a timeframe, when they go to a UK level or change their roster. There’s a limit, they can only play X amount of games. But the cool thing is that UK players have the opportunity to play against global superstars.
“The European ecosystem is getting together – all pieces. We put the LEC in direct contact with European Regional Leagues (ERLs), which allows ERLs to really step up and create businesses out of the teams. This is the first time we’re doing this.
“I believe in the next three-to-five years, for the UK scene it’s going to be a complete new world.”
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.
