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In this special series of articles, Esports News UK’s coverage of the Blast Spring Final 2024 is in collaboration with the betting partner GGBET UK
The Final stage of the Blast Premier Spring 2024 season took place on June 14th to 16th at the Ovo Arena Wembley in London. For the first time since 2018, British Counter-Strike fans got to enjoy one of the most important esports events in their own country. Thanks to GG.BET, the tournament’s exclusive betting partner, fans were able to take part in awesome activities at the GG.BOOTH to make the event extra special.
It was the first time the UK had hosted an esports event on such a scale for six years.
And 18,000 spectators had the chance to support their LAN favourites, with the last day of the final seeing more than 8,000 attendees at the arena.
As the exclusive betting partner of the tournament, GG.BET played its part to make the final truly an event to remember.
The GG.BOOTH attracted the attention of fans, journalists, and influencers.
Attendees had the chance to take photos and videos to remember the event by and for vlogs, and could unleash their artistic side in the creative zone to design posters to support their favourite team.
GG.BET brand ambassador James Banks also visited the GG.BOOTH, so it was a great opportunity for arena guests to take photos with him.
On July 14th, Team Vitality visited the GG.BOOTH after their victory over Faze Clan in the tournament quarter finals.
There was a team signing session during which more than 200 happy fans had the opportunity to interact with the players, get merch signed, and take photos together.
The players arrived to applause from those waiting for them, and an hour of greeting and mingling with fans followed.
One of the Vitality followers in line, Jacob from Oxford, said: “This is my first CS event and getting to meet people that I’ve just been watching as pixels on a screen for years is such a cool thing for [us] do.”
Robyn from Wembley said: “It’s really nice to have an event so local for once, and I’m going to tell these guys that they need to come to the UK more!”
Counter-Strike fan Andy, decked out in his black and yellow striped Vitality jersey, added: “[We’re here] for King Mezii, obviously! We want to meet all of them obviously, but he’s representing the UK, we want to give him some support, why wouldn’t you want to meet any of them?
“I’ve just got a notepad, I would get my [Vitality jersey] signed but then it would have to get hidden away in a frame! We just want to get a little memento and show the boys that the fans appreciate them.”
Rocket League caster Adam ‘Craftman’ Stewart was also hanging around the queue, saying: “I’m just waiting on Andy! But it’s great to see the team meeting the fans.”
See more in our video here, with UK player Mezii signing a fan’s Pot Noodle:
On the signing session, Mezii told Esport News UK: “First of all, there were so many people. It was so fun as well, when you turn up to these events and you have these signing sessions. Fan after fan, they’re all coming, and it’s even better when they turn up with their unique ideas.
“Some people have come with coffee cups, and there was the Pot Noodle I signed. It’s always funny when you see some of the inventive ideas fans have to get signed.
“It’s one of those things that is fun to do, and it’s nice to give back to the fans that come out and show their support and come to watch these events. It’s good.”
The fan who asked to get his Pod Noodle signed, Academic-Local-7530 on Reddit, commented: “I came straight from work I had nothing but AirPods, a aallet, a white T-shirt with spilled soy sauce on it, an ID card, and a Pot Noodle. I think I had no choice…”
UK broadcast talent Jacky also caught up with Esports News UK. He said: “I’ve never signed so many bizarre things in my life. I’ve signed a Nintendo Wii, that blew my mind. I said thank you to the guy, ‘this is incredible’.
“I’ve signed 15 socks, four jerseys, one of them home-made. It’s been one of my favourite bits. I felt like Dobby from Harry Potter, I had been given a sock, I’m a free elf!”
Related article: Mezii on the home crowd at Wembley
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.
