Esports organisation Guild Esports (GILD ) told investors that it has launched an official pro player jersey that will be worn by all of its pro esports players in fixtures and tournaments.
The Group, which is co-owned by David Beckham, said the jersey will feature the Guild logo designed by acclaimed streetwear designer Fergus Purcell, alongside the logo of Subway.
The sandwich franchise Subway became Guild's Official Quick-Service Restaurant Partner following the signing of a two-year multi-million-pound sponsorship deal in March this year.
Guild said future iterations of the jersey will provide opportunities for the Company to generate revenue as it will enable new sponsors to promote themselves via logo placement.
The Company explained that this will help them to raise awareness for their brand amongst Guild's fanbase including sought-after but hard to reach Gen Z and millennial audiences.
Guild explained to investors: ‘Team jerseys worn by esports players at fixtures are not only seen by live audiences but also online through broadcasts which are streamed globally.’
Guild has described itself as an ‘increasingly compelling partner’ for sponsors as it continues to scale and increase its visibility, as well as one of Europe's ‘fastest growing esports teams.’
To date, the Company has achieved a 533% increase in its social media following since 31 March 2021, to reach over one million followers across its aggregate social platforms.
The Fortnite FNCS All-Star Showdown, which Guild took part in June, was broadcast live to the tournament's audience of 16.8 million followers across various social media channels.
Guild said the jersey will provide sponsors with an opportunity to reach and engage with these significant audiences. According to a report by Newzoo, the global esports audience alone is set to reach 474.0 million by the end of 2021 and grow to 577.2 million in 2024.
CEO of Guild Esports, Kal Hourd, said: "Our consistently expanding audience figures and explosive growth in our fanbase affords an exceptional opportunity for brand visibility.”
He said, “As the esports sector returns to the in-person tournaments and events where team kits are a prominent feature, this will further support our revenue streams and long-term growth strategy. Moreover, the jersey allows Guild's partnership team to present a tangible branding opportunity to the global organisations looking to partner with the Company."
In its half-year results to 31 March 2021 released in June, Guild Esports said it was on track to achieve its first-year sponsorship revenue targets as revenues continued to grow strongly.
The esports organisation co-owned by David Beckham hailed its position as the First esports team’s organisation to list on the LSE, which executed whilst raising £20m in the process.
At the time, the Company stated that its new business pipeline ‘continues to be robust’ and that it is currently in discussions with potential new sponsors to sign further deals for its core inventory (being main shirt partners, HQ naming rights, academy sponsors and regional partners), as well as exploring opportunities for strategic partnerships and content deals.
Guild Esport’s investors include London-listed Blue Star Capital. To date, the investment company, which is focused on investing in new technologies, has invested around £0.706 million in Guild Esports, and holds around a 5.95% of the issued share capital of Guild.
Guild was admitted to the Official List and started trading on the standard segment of the London Stock Exchange in October 2020 to take advantage of the growing esports markets.
Blue Star says the esports market is experiencing significant growth. In 2020 it was estimated at c.495m viewers and is projected to reach around 646 million viewers by 2023. This is expected to result in revenues growing over the same period from $950m to $1.60bn.
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