Interview with the leader of Birmingham City Council on West Midlands esports deal and the Commonwealth: ‘There’s enormous potential in Birmingham and we’d like to become a city that’s known for hosting esports events’

Left, Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, and right, Dato’ Ananth S.Nathan, president of the Malaysia Esports Federation, the latest federation to join Global Esports

Back in June, the Global Esports Federation announced a 10-year agreement to boost UK esports in the West Midlands, with a research centre and several tournaments planned.

Jack Freeman attended the media day to ask the leader of Birmingham City Council (pictured left) and the newest member of Global Esports, the president of the Malaysia Esports Federation (pictured right), for their views.

Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council on West Midlands esports deal

How will Birmingham City Council deliver on this new partnership?

I think we see an opportunity for us to do two things really. First of all, to grow the tech industry in the West Midlands and the city of Birmingham. We currently have about 25% of technical businesses here in the West Midlands. So it’s an opportunity for us to grow that and we do need to leverage investment and create additional jobs, because we are a growing city here in Birmingham.

There will be nearly 150,000 more brummies by the end of the decade then there are at the moment, so creating jobs is very, very important to us. And the second thing it allows us to do is I think is to host esports events. So we have this demonstrator in the Commonwealth Games this summer, the Commonwealth Esports Championships, it’s not officially part of the games but it’s a demonstration event.

I think that we need to use that as a springboard to attract other esports events to the city. So we’re talking about [an annual] Global Esports Forum, [hosting the Global Esports Tour from 2023 to 2026 and a bid to host] the 2027/28 Global Esports Games. So we want to see more of these events because it allows the city to then place itself on that international platform and grow our reputation internationally around the world.

So why specifically esports instead of gaming and technology?

Off the back of the Commonwealth Games, we are determined to create for ourselves a reputation as a international city for sport and the hosting of major sporting events. Given the huge interest in esports around the world with any of these events attracting literally tens of millions of people who watch around the world watching online. There’s enormous potential in this for Birmingham and we’d very much like to become a city that’s known for hosting esports events as well as traditional sporting events.

There’s been talk about working with local universities, but will there be plans to reach a younger audience at the college or even primary school level?

“Well I think young people are interested in gaming and most young people spend an enormous amount of time on their computers gaming in actual fact. So yeah we want to be connected with the universities and Warwick University of course most recently won the NSE British University Esports Championship. So that in itself is a reason for us to connect with the universities.

So yeah, we’re reaching out [to] young populations: 37% of the population of Birmingham is under the age of 25. So having that connection with young people and using their ability to innovate and skills that they have to not only drive the industry on but hopefully to see people coming through in esports championships representing the City of Birmingham.

What are your thoughts on the West Midlands’ previous achievements in esports and can we replicate that in the future with this new partnership?

Well I think we can. This 10-year partnership is the beginning of a journey for us and we hope through this journey to do those two things: grow the industry and put Birmingham on the map as a host of esports events.”

Dato’ Ananth S.Nathan, President of Malaysia Esports Federation on being the latest federation to join Global Esports

How do you feel about Malaysia Esports Federation joining the Global Esports Federation?

You know it’s exciting to be part of a larger family where you can bring together your thoughts, your views, your ideas and to actualise it with your family members, so everybody comes in. So it makes the team and it makes the ideological concepts and whatever is happening more achievable collectively, so it’s exciting.

Rather than one individual, we’ve now got 118 members together, then we hope more will come and join us to fast-track the idea of where we are going in this digital world.”

What are your plans with the Global Esports Federation in the future?

To create more participants from Asia in the tour, like in July there was a Global Esports Tour. This allows our athletes, our gamers, our community to become a part of that in the process of understanding how the world has progressed. So it gives the reach, to come together to join, followed by the Global Esports Championship in Instanbul in December.

This will enable our community, from Asia, to come together with other communities across the world, like what rightfully Paul [J. Foster, Global Esports CEO] said – a “world connected”.

Are you planning to get involved with the partnership between the Global Esports Federation and the West Midlands?

Yes. It is not me alone, it is the entire federation. So whichever direction that the Global Esports Federation is siding up with, we will work together as a team to actualise it. And we hope and I believe by the looks of it we are getting strong support from the local authorities, governing bodies and business parties. We are getting strong support so we all align I suppose.

Further reading: Who actually are the Global Esports Federation? Interview with CEO Paul J. Foster