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EU grassroots esports tournament provider Phoenix League is poised for a resurgence thanks to a trio of UK-based esports students.
Phoenix League is an amateur esports tournament that has hosted League of Legends and Valorant competitions, which aims to provide ‘a space for amateur esports players to compete for cash prizes (€200 per league), competing amongst a friendly, competitive community’.
The league was founded in 2016, with co-owners Daniel and Natalia. Plus, Ace (owner of Venomcrest Esports, winners of the NLC 2024 Summer split), was previously a player during the inaugural stage of the league, who then joined Phoenix League in 2020 as a co-owner.
However, after a brief hiatus earlier this year, the league’s momentum began to slow due to the co-owners’ other commitments.
Phoenix League says it’s now ‘poised for an exciting resurgence, to not only return the league to its former self, but to surpass it’. This effort, dubbed Phoenix League Reborn, is a revival spearheaded by Finnlo Merry, alongside Nathan Luccarini and Jake Dorrian, all students at the College of Esports (CoE), an esports university institution. Finnlo and Nathan are in their final year, while Jake is in his second year at CoE.
These three individuals have brought along with them a team of 12 additional new staff members, most of whom are first-year students at CoE.
And they have just opened sign-ups to the latest League of Legends Phoenix League:
Nathan Luccarini has taken the reins as the Tournament Official Manager, in charge of all operations of the tournaments, overseeing the enforcement of rules and ensuring the integrity of the competitions. His connection to Phoenix League runs deep – he and Finnlo competed in the league themselves on Team Astronauts, a team that dominated the most recent Diamond Division tournament, sweeping through playoffs and finals with 3-0 victories.
As part of the revival, Phoenix League has introduced a newly-formed production team led by Finnlo Merry and Jake Dorrian. Both bring impressive credentials, with Finnlo having previously served as a Senior Producer for the British Esports Student Champs (see the 2024 winners here) and Jake working as a Graphic Designer and Observer. The team’s first project was a broadcast of the previous split finals between Astronauts and DVN Infinity, casted by Brechtamus and Sk1lton.
Alongside production, a new social media team has been assembled, managed by Jake Dorrian, posting regular updates and highlights.
College of Esports students including Finnlo also worked on the first University Halo League LAN, which became one of UK’s most-viewed student broadcasts on Twitch earlier this year.
What’s next for Phoenix League?
The league aims to expand back into Valorant, following the recent weekend-long Valorant 1v1 tournament. Additionally, plans are underway to introduce tournaments for both Overwatch and Teamfight Tactics in upcoming splits.
But for now, all eyes are on the Winter Split for League of Legends, which will see the addition of a new Emerald Division alongside the existing Diamond Division.
Organisers say this Winter split promises to be ‘the biggest League of Legends era in Phoenix League’s history, featuring more teams, an increased prize pool, and an unparalleled esports experience’.
Viewers can expect weekly streams showcasing the most exciting matchups, complete with casts and professional production.
“We also are working on a series of community events that will help bring everyone together both on and off the Rift,” Phoenix League said. “Signups for the Winter split are now open until September 28th 2024 – we can’t wait to see you!”
Article originally written by Nathan Luccarini, Tournament Official Manager of Phoenix League, and edited by Esports News UK.
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.
