British esports organisation Guild Esports and the esports division of Premier League club Manchester City have been announced as the latest members of the UK Esports Teams Committee.
According to the UKETC via a release, the two entities have joined the committee due to both having an ‘expressed interest’ in ‘making positive changes’ to the UK esports scene.
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Founded in 2021, the UK Esports Teams Committee details that its goal is to help grow the UK esports industry. The committee has announced that member teams are working on a Code of Conduct, with all member teams adopting it once finalised. The code will address key issues in UK esports, including toxicity, safeguarding and provision of voluntary jobs.
Oliver Weingarten, Chair of UKETC and Chief Executive Officer of LDN UTD, commented: “The UKETC seeks to have the broadest representation as this ensures the issues we address will have the most impact, with key stakeholders being involved.
“In that respect, I’d like to welcome Guild and Man City to the UKETC and look forward to their active participation in our forthcoming meetings, and their support in delivering our agenda, starting with the Code Of Conduct.”
Manchester City has steadily increased its esports presence in recent months. The club is a noted partner of FaZe Clan, and has worked with the gaming brand on activations and pop-up events, as well as a Fortnite tournament.
Guild Esports recently partnered with Razer, but also made a number of leadership changes after accumulating losses in 2021. The organisation currently has teams in VALORANT, Fortnite, Rocket League, Apex Legends and FIFA.
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This is the second time the UKETC has increased its number of member teams. At the time of inception, the UKETC consisted of Endpoint, EXCEL Esports, Fnatic, London Royal Ravens, London Spitfire, MNM Gaming and Vexed Gaming. The seven organisations were later joined by LDN UTD, Method, FUTWIZ, Wolves Esports and Resolve.
Gavin Johnson, Media Director at City Football Group, added: “We’re pleased that Manchester City Esports are being welcomed as a member of the UKETC today. Over the past few years, we have made a concerted effort to develop and expand our work within the esports space and continue to grow our offering for esports and Man City fans alike.”
Esports Insider says: The addition of Man City Esports and Guild is a welcome one given both of the organisation’s efforts when it comes to the UK scene. We’re still waiting to see what concrete steps the committee aims to take to improve the UK esports scene, however, it seems that the Code of Conduct is going to be its first tangible product.
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