Esports News UK has been sent details of two esports charity fundraisers this month – one from Guild Esports and another from Staffordshire University esports students.
Guild and Anthony Nolan in FIFA esports charity tournament
UK blood cancer and blood disorder charity Anthony Nolan has announced its latest partnership with Guild Studios, the home of Guild’s pro gamers and content creators, as part of an esports charity push.
The pair have joined forces to launch the ‘Match for a Match Cup’ on Tuesday April 25th 2023, a FIFA tournament with a difference that will see pros not known for the football game change their game, stepping out of their comfort zone to contest a competitive one-off knockout tournament.
Update: The winner of Match for a Match was Stevie White:
The announcement comes as Anthony Nolan continues its work to inspire 16–24-year-olds to join the stem cell register, a vital cause in helping to save the lives of people living with blood cancer or blood disorders. This young demographic is vital to the charity’s work as they are more likely to be a match and offer the best chance of saving a life.
A press release says it’s easy to do as joining the stem cell register takes less time than a standard 12-minute game of FIFA.
Crossing the (virtual) white line in the Match for a Match Cup will be co-star of the Jaack Maate’s Happy Hour podcast and Guild content creator Stevie White, who as a self-confessed FIFA novice is excited to “embarrass himself for a good cause”.
Joining Stevie will be ‘Anas’ El-Abd, a pro Fortnite esports player that previously won MrBeast’s $1,000,000 tournament,
but how will those skills transfer to the football pitch?
Among others lining up to take their shot in the esports charity push is content creator and Twitch streamer Harrie Silver, best known for her lifestyle content but now answering the call to take on the world’s biggest football video game. Completing the line-up will be Henrik ‘Hen’ Mclean, a British/Lithuanian Fortnite player that, at just 17 years old, has already amassed an impressive roster of career wins. Hen has described himself as a casual FIFA player and is excited to hone his skills on a more competitive level.
“By putting on an exciting event with some of the world’s most decorated esports players trying their hand at something new, we’re excited to shine a light on young people’s ability to try something new themselves, which could have life-saving results.”
Matt Allen, Anthony Nolan
The Match for a Match Cup will be hosted by presenter Iain Chambers, who fronts some of the biggest esports tournaments all around the world. Joining Iain will be TN25, a Guild content creator that specialises in FIFA, with the pair bringing you all the action and match commentary from the tournament.
Gaming has been a solace in tough times for a number of patients, including Rian Harvey, who was just 14 years old when he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. With so many months in hospital, and a long isolation period after a stem cell transplant, Rian says that gaming ‘saved him’ as he navigated his route to recovery.
Matt Allen, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Anthony Nolan, said of the esports charity initiative: “In fewer than the 12 minutes it takes to complete a match on FIFA a young man could sign up to the stem cell register. Currently 18% of the UK Anthony Nolan stem cell register is made up of young men, but they account for 55% of people called upon to donate.
“By putting on an exciting event with some of the world’s most decorated esports players trying their hand at something new, we’re excited to shine a light on young people’s ability to try something new themselves, which could have life-saving results.”
Nick Westwood, SVP at Guild Esports, added: “Guild’s appeal to the notoriously hard-to-reach Gen Z demographic makes us the perfect partner for Anthony Nolan as it looks to encourage more 16–24-year-olds to join the stem cell register. Together, not only will we be offering an evening of entertainment, but hopefully will inspire young gamers to step out of their comfort zone and, in doing so, make an impact on the issue of blood cancer and blood disorders.”
All the action will be streamed live on April 25th on the Guild Esports Twitch channel.
Staffs Uni students host esports charity fundraising event for mental health with big prizes
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives.
Staffordshire University esports students say in a press release that this highlights the need for more awareness and support for mental health, and that esports can be a platform to achieve that.
To address this issue, FF15, a Staffordshire University student-led esports organisation have announced an esports charity fundraising event with Gaming the Mind for mental health.
On Thursday April 13th 2023 from 10am, you can join the Staffs Uni esports Twitch channel for a day of esports charity tournaments, giveaways and more, with all donations going to mental health charity Gaming the Mind.
In-person attendees can enter a raffle to win a DINOBLT-030 Dino Aardonyx AMD Ryzen 5 5600g Pre-Built Gaming PC, provided by event sponsor Stone Group.
Winners of the Valorant wingman competition will also receive a free meal and drink from Geek Retreat Hanley, another sponsor.
The online esports charity event will feature a Valorant tournament and casual games such as Gangbeasts, Multiverses and Plate up. In addition to the tournaments, there will be few speakers from BSc Psychology to discuss mental health and provide guidance to the audience.
“We believe that everyone deserves access to the resources and support they need to maintain good mental health. That’s why we’re proud to partner with Gaming the Mind to make a positive impact in the lives of those who need it most,” FF15 said in a press release.
“Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just someone who wants to make a difference, we hope you’ll join us for this exciting charity fundraising event. Together, we can help break down the stigma surrounding mental health and promote a more supportive and inclusive community for all.”
Donations to Gaming the Mind via the FF15 event can be made here and you can join the FF15 Discord here to discuss and learn more about the esports charity push.
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.
