Esports Scotland reveals Rocket League and eFootball players for Commonwealth Esports Championships, with talent from Tundra & Man United: ‘We’re exceptionally proud to be taking part in this monumental event’

Left to right: eFootball player Gary McInnes, Women’s Rocket League players Kelly Wyse, Sophie Stevenson and Jordan Drummond, and eFootball coach Adam Ryan

Esports Scotland, one of the four home nations taking part in this weekend’s Commonwealth Esports Championships (CEC) in Birmingham, has revealed its player roster.

The Esports Scotland team members playing eFootball are:

• Player Gary ‘xBigStuff’ McInnes, who also competes for the Scotland National team at FIFA
• Substitute player Mikolaj Zietek, who plays for Manchester United’s eFootball team
• Coach Adam Ryan, who competes for the Scotland National team at FIFA

The Esports Scotland Women’s Rocket League team is as follows:

• Player Jordan ‘Jorhdys’ Drummond (who also streams for Tundra Esports)
• Player Kelly ‘ScottishKelz’ Wyse
• Player Sophie ‘STVN’ Stevenson
• Coach Mark ‘Markydooda’ Exton, who recently coached Rocket League for Guild Esports

James Hood, the CEO of Scotland’s esports event company, is also preparing to travel to Birmingham as team manager, as Team Scotland takes its seat at the Commonwealth Games for the first time in history.

James, who launched Dundee-based Esports Scotland five years ago, was unveiled as team manager for Scotland for the CEC earlier this year. Appointed by the British Esports Federation to select the players and coaches in Scotland, James describes the role as his ‘dream job’.

Team Scotland Manager: @James_Hoody pic.twitter.com/66jJOEviD7

— Esports Scotland (@EsportsSCO) August 3, 2022

Esports Scotland, based at Dundee and Angus College, exists to facilitate and grow esports in Scotland. With his team of 10 staff, James has created a programme of activities and events for players regardless of the stage they have reached.

Earlier this year, Esports Scotland partnered with Dundee and Angus College and has held summer esports bootcamps for young people at the facilities.

From children playing community cups for fun in their bedroom to battlegrounds, where players can compete for money, the organisation says it brings the highest level of esports players in Scotland together during the Scottish Esports League (SEL). SEL5 will take place at the Gardyne Campus of Dundee and Angus College later this year. 

Esports Scotland has also secured sponsorship from both Currys and GT Omega.

The newly acquired sponsorship will help fund videography, photography and content creation at the Commonwealth Esports Championships on August 6th and 7th 2022.

Esports Scotland joins other UK home nations, which recently revealed their 2022 CEC player rosters: Esports England, Esports Wales and Esports Northern Ireland.

Esports Scotland CEO and team manager James Hood said: “Esports is growing dramatically in popularity and participation, and the sponsorship will help position Esports Scotland as the leading Esports organisation in Scotland.  We can now show the progression and the journey we take players on, from kids in their bedrooms to potentially winning a Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.  We have essentially carved a path of activities and tournaments to develop players as they progress through their Esports journey.

“I’ve been pushing esports constantly for five years so to be heading to the Commonwealth Games is just amazing and brilliant validation for what we’ve been predicting and planning for since we launched back in 2017. It’s a wonderful honour to be involved and take our place in history.

“We want to unite Scotland’s gamers, coaches and fans to represent what is a truly vibrant esports community in Scotland and help them all bask in the glory of this global platform.  Hopefully, we’ll also bring some gold medals home! Four years from now, it would be wonderful to be representing Scotland at the Olympics in Los Angeles but, for now, we’re exceptionally proud to be taking part in this monumental event and seeing where it takes us.”

Nicholas Hayden, gead of faming at Currys, added: “We are delighted to be supporting the Scottish national team at the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship and to see esports being recognised with a pilot at such a prestigious event. At Currys, we have seen the explosion of esports first-hand and how the sport has matured into one which connects millions of young people, providing both entertainment and a sense of community.

“It will be exciting to see the impact of such a brilliant showcase as the Commonwealth Games, on the future of the sport. It will no doubt make for a thrilling event, and we wish the Esports Scotland team and the rest of the competitors the best of luck.”

Brian Copeland, marketing coordinator at GT Omega, added: “It is a real honour for all of us here at GT Omega to be able to help support our national team in what has become one of the most exciting opportunities in esports and gaming in the UK. We’re looking forward to seeing how the Scotland team perform on the big stage, and we can’t wait for the next steps of Esports Scotland and British Esports as a whole.”

For more information visit esportsscotland.co.uk

Dom Sacco

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.