Valencia become latest football club to enter esports

The Spanish club announced on Tuesday that they have acquired a team in the online game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, joining the likes of Schalke in the virtual world

Posted Wednesday, June 08, 2016 by Goal.com

Valencia announced on Tuesday morning that they have become the latest football club to enter the world of esports.

The Spanish club has signed four Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft players and will compete at Gamergy, Spain's biggest online gaming event, this month.

Hearthstone is a free online game in which players assemble decks of cards that are used in head-to-head, turn-based battles.

The players acquired are Diego 'Evangelion' Fuentes, Hector 'TheFallen' Fuentes, Haneul 'NaRa' Lee - all of whom join from the Samsung Gaming eSports team - and Jose Miguel 'Josemi' Pascual.

CLUB | El Valencia CF crea su equipo de eSports: el @VCFeSports #VCFeSports https://t.co/1Gfcd5lEvq pic.twitter.com/M0GJO2UQ5O

— Valencia CF (@valenciacf) June 7, 2016

Multiple reports have suggested Valencia also plan to form a team in Rocket League - a football game played with high-powered cars - at a later date.

"This is a very interesting project and a challenge for Valencia CF to enter a sports sector with such a marked growth," marketing director Peter Draper told the club's official website.

"It puts Valencia CF in the vanguard of the sector that is causing [much] interest throughout Europe."

Sergio Benet, the project's general manager, added: "For us it is a challenge and a big responsibility to defend the Valencia CF colours in the virtual gaming competitions.

"We will do our best to be up to the task and one of the best teams in eSport."

Last month, Bundesliga side Schalke expanded into esports by acquiring the League of Legends team Elements and their place in the European Championship Series.

West Ham have signed Sean 'Dragonn' Allen, the runner-up at the 2016 FIFA Interactive World Cup, while Wolfsburg have two FIFA players in Benedikt 'Salz0r' Saltzer and David 'DaveBtw' Bytheway.