UK esports organisation Guild have today announced the signing of their first full-time safeguarding and wellbeing lead: Kit Brunswick.
He joins the esports organisation to lead the holistic care and safeguarding of Guild’s esports pro players, academy players and other figures.
Brunswick joins Guild with experience in safeguarding, having previously worked in similar roles at football clubs Arsenal and Cambridge United. Prior to those roles, Brunswick graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in Sports Science & Sports Management.
A press release says this is ‘esports’ first ever safeguarding and wellbeing lead’, however other entities like Digital Schoolhouse and the British Esports Federation already have trained safeguarding and wellbeing specialists.
“We accept our responsibility to create a safer esports ecosystem, and I truly believe this is a pivotal moment in the adoption of robust safeguarding and wellbeing practices across the wider esports industry.”
Kit Brunswick, Guild Esports
In his position, Kit Brunswick will ‘build a trauma-informed and supportive environment for everyone across Guild’, ranging from implementing specialised training programmes for players and staff, safeguarding audit processes and tailored wellbeing care. This will apply to all prospects in Guild’s academy, as well as its staff and professional athletes competing across games such as Valorant, Fortnite and Rocket League.
A key focus of Brunswick’s work is helping Guild create a viable path to pro for aspiring athletes. As part of this work, he will build a close relationship with parents and guardians ‘to ensure that safety and security is met end-to-end for Guild players, from day-to-day practice through to major national and international tournaments’.
Kit recently got to know the Guild Esports team at an event with David Beckham at Guild’s new London headquarters:
The appointment comes after Guild Esports posted a £5m loss in a recent financial update, and Guild announced plans around education at the start of the year.
Guild’s Argentinian FIFA star Nicolas ‘Nicolas99fc’ Villalba won the FIFA eChampions League in Stockholm in May. The organisation also recently launched a new Guild jersey for 2022 ahead of the opening of Guild’s HQ in London, helping it champion the world of esports and make an impact in the sector.
Guild’s Valorant team also recently reached the Valorant Masters playoffs in Copenhagen, and are now preparing to face other big European teams in the game.
‘The work that Kit is doing is revolutionising the world of esports’ – Guild CEO
Kal Hourd, CEO at Guild Esports, said: “The work that Kit is doing is revolutionising the world of esports and pioneering the way that organisations can – and should – be working with their talent.
“Throughout the esports industry, there is a real need for organisations to show a duty of care to the people they work with, and I couldn’t be prouder of the impact that Kit is already having across our structure.”
Kit Brunswick, safeguarding and wellbeing lead at Guild Esports, added: “This is a massively exciting time for esports as an industry, and to be working for an organisation that wants to set the standard in this area is a huge privilege. We have a responsibility to drive a trauma-informed environment that empowers the voices of young people and athletes, both within Guild and across the esports industry.
“We accept our responsibility to create a safer esports ecosystem, and I truly believe this is a pivotal moment in the adoption of robust safeguarding and wellbeing practices across the wider esports industry.”
Safeguarding is an area not yet fully adopted or valued in esports as a whole. This time last year, Fnatic published what they described as esports’ first set of safeguarding policies.
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.
