- VR-Bank Westmünsterland has extended its partnership F.C. Schalke 04 to include support for the German soccer club’s esports division.
- The bank will initially focus on FIFA, hosting its own regional competition in July.
- Schalke 04 Esports hosts two League of Legends teams, and is also sponsored by R+V Versicherung, Corsair, and Honor.
Schalke 04 Esports 
has announced a partnership with VR-Bank Westmünsterland, part of the National Association of German Cooperative Banks. The bank is supporting Schalke 04’s FIFA team, as part of an extended partnership with the German soccer and multi-sports club, in what it describes as a “first step” into esports.
“With our participation in esports, we give gamers worldwide the opportunity to become part of Schalke’s family,” said Schalke 04 Esports Chief Gaming Officer (CGO) Tim Reichert, in a statement. “That’s why we’re delighted that the VR-Bank Westmünsterland is now part of our team, helping us to make esports even more popular.”
The bank will be hosting its own “VR-Esports-Cup” FIFA competition at its offices, in July. The event will feature Schalke 04’s own FIFA players, with more details to be announced. Alongside FIFA 19 and Pro Evolution Soccer, Schalke 04 hosts League of Legends teams in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and an academy team which competes in the DACH Premier Tour.
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VR-Bank Westmünsterland eG has been a part of F.C. Schalke 04 since 2005, and became the club’s exclusive partner in July 2018 (after the departure of VR-Bank Ruhr Mitte). The bank’s insurance partner, R+V Versicherung, holds the front logo position on Schalke 04 Esports’ player jerseys. Other sponsors of the esports team include PC hardware brand Corsair, Huawei mobile brand Honor, and energy drink effect.
