Charlton Athletic FC to open esports and gaming box with Cyberlabs

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League One English football club Charlton Athletic FC has announced it’s opening a Cyberlabs Gaming Box at its stadium.

It’s billed as a ‘state-of-the-art gaming and entertainment space’ located in the Alan Curbishley Stand at The Valley, and is due to open in March 2025.

This renovated box will offer gaming and football experiences to visitors on both matchdays and non-matchdays, for fans, brands, esports teams, creators and media.

The gaming box is designed for multi-purpose use, including esports, streaming, podcasts and more. It will feature consoles, PC gaming desk setups provided by Unevn, virtual reality, fridges, hot and cold food and beverage options, plus allocated seats in the stand, and more.

It’s sponsored by Cyberlabs, a London-based company founded by lifelong Charlton fan Sam Cooke of Esports Insider, Ed Kim of London’s New Meta Gaming Arena and Abdiqani Ahmed of dormant UK esports organisation Lionscreed, who were removed from the NLC and UKEL leagues last year.

Update: Shortly after publishing this news, it was announced that Esports Insider had been acquired, with ESI London events no more, and that Sam will also be working on a new venture.

Cyberlabs, which says it’s focused on ‘advancing digital entertainment within education, sports, community, and leisure venues globally’, will also design, fit, and kit out the space, and help the football club to operate it. The company offers strategic planning, commercialisation, bespoke design, equipment outfitting and operational support.

Charlton FC says the gaming box is also ideal for group outings, birthday parties, corporate away days and special occasions.

‘The Gaming Box will enhance the club’s own media and marketing capabilities while supporting the Charlton Athletic Community Trust in driving impactful social initiatives,’ the club said.

Cyberlabs also previously sponsored a Charlton Athletic Women’s FA Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur in February 2024.

Sam Cooke, Cyberlabs co-founder, lifelong Charlton fan and former board member of CAST (Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust), said: “Even if I wasn’t a fan, this partnership would be something special. It’s an honour to sponsor Charlton Athletic and be able to work closely with the club.

“The Community Trust already does incredible work, and we believe this space can help to amplify their efforts too.”

Barry Higson, Head of Commercial at Charlton Athletic, added: “We are delighted to be working with Cyberlabs to bring this innovative Gaming Box to The Valley.

“It’s an exciting addition that offers tremendous benefits to our fans and community, aligning perfectly with Charlton’s commitment to enhancing the supporter experience both on and off matchdays. We’re confident this partnership will create new opportunities for fan engagement and community impact.”

Those interested in partnering or finding out more can get in touch via this Cyberlabs CAFC link, and there’s more info on the Cyberlabs website here.

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.