UK esports organisation Excel Esports have announced they will be fielding a Valorant esports team.
Excel have signed seven-times Ignition Series champion and former G2 player David ‘Davidp’ Prins as their team’s captain.
The Belgian player was most recently with G2 and was benched into the side’s inactive roster back in December 2020. Now, he will lead Excel’s foray into Riot’s 5v5 team shooter, Valorant.
Expect more Excel Valorant players to be announced soon – we’ll update this article as they’re revealed.
Excel say they have chosen to ‘prioritise selecting a team captain and coaching staff, in order to build a roster that will have the infrastructure and performance support to compete at the highest level’.
Excel have been hosting player trials recently, including personality and performance tests, to identify players and coaches that align with their competitive goals and ‘Power of Better’ vision.
As the first member of Excel’s Valorant roster, Davidp will aim to help the org compete in the Valorant Champions Tour later this year. He comes with a lot of experience, having won all seven Ignition Series in Europe including the likes of the Blast Twitch Invitational, Vitality European Open and WePlay Invitational.
“Ever since Valorant was first announced we knew it was going to be a title with huge potential and one that we could thrive in. However we really wanted to take our time and find players and coaches that aligned with our vision.”
Kieran Holmes-Darby, Excel Esports
The announcement marks Excel’s first move into a new game title since their major brand update in November, where founder Kieran Holmes-Darby told Esports News UK they wanted more trophies and to move into new titles. They also signed footballer Dele Alli as a brand ambassador.
Excel of course also field a team in the League of Legends LEC and have UK Fortnite player Wolfiez representing them in Fortnite.
There’s a host of UK talent in Valorant, including Fnatic’s Valorant team who they signed from SUMN FC, Team Liquid and casters and hosts such as Su Collins, MitchMan and more. UK host and caster James Banks is also general manager for Alliance’s Valorant team, and MitchMan is analyst.
“Ever since Valorant was first announced we knew it was going to be a title with huge potential and one that we could thrive in,” said Excel co-founder and chief gaming officer Kieran Holmes-Darby.
“However when it came to expansion we really wanted to take our time and find players and coaches that aligned with our vision, so when we started talking to Davidp it felt like such a natural fit.
“We have big ambitions and are looking for the best and most promising talent to build out the roster and create a lasting legacy.”
“I am really excited to have found a home with Excel Esports,” Davidp added. “Since starting my journey in Valorant I have showcased my ability to not only win trophies but grow and adapt my playstyle. I can’t wait to show everyone what we can achieve.”
Earlier this year, the BBC aired a documentary following Excel’s League of Legends team in the spring 2020 LEC.
Related news: Guild qualify for first Valorant Masters Europe event, but big names including G2, Liquid and Fnatic miss out to smaller orgs
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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.
