Phelan Gaming, one of the teams participating in the UK League Championship (UKLC), has rebranded as part of a new partnership.
It has teamed up with professional rugby side Munster Rugby to become Munster Rugby Gaming, and it will represent the sports team in future esports tournaments.
Phelan Gaming was founded in 2016 by Ciarán ‘Wings’ Walsh (whom Esports News UK interviewed back in late 2018 as newcomers to the UKLC).
They recently finished third in the UKLC Spring 2020 Season, behind the two biggest teams in the league: Fnatic Rising and BT Excel.
Experienced UK coach Josh ‘Furndog’ Furneaux, formerly of Excel Esports and most recently with Phelan, has been named head coach for Munster Rugby Gaming.
It looks as if the partnership was made with the help of Trev Keane, head of sport and esports at 7F.
Munster Rugby Gaming has also appointed Jonas ‘Valgard’ Schürmann as chief marketing officer, who has courted controversy in the past.
On the new partnership, Ciarán commented: “We have been keen to expand beyond our established esports audience in Ireland and the UK and wanted to partner with a respected club with a passionate supporter base in order to achieve that.
“We believe that with Munster Rugby, we have found the perfect partner to Stand Up and Fight with, not only in Ireland and the UK, but on a global scale.”
Ciarán Walsh, Munster Rugby Gaming
Ian Flanagan, Munster Rugby CEO, added: “In seeking new ways to bring Munster Rugby to a wider audience at home and abroad, we identified the strong performances of Phelan Gaming and were excited to be able to partner with them and feel there is great potential for all involved.”
Munster Rugby’s head of enterprise, Enda Lynch, says the club looks forward to ‘sharing in Munster Rugby Gaming’s fortunes when the action commences this June’.
News sources: Munster Rugby and Esports Insider
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.
