Football Sports Development (FSDL) and South Asia’s leading esports company NODWIN Gaming today announced the launch of eISL as the Indian Super League becomes the country’s first major sports league to venture into competitive gaming, in collaboration with EA SPORTS TM. FSDL has been consistently curating new concepts and platforms to explore the youthful and global facets of football and eISL is another exciting platform to engage the growing number of young football fans in India with the rapidly growing online gaming spectrum. NODWIN Gaming will be the tournament organizer for eISL.

The first edition of eISL is set to debut alongside ISL season 2021-22 from November 20. The eISL finals will be held on March 20, 2022, with a mega prize pool of INR 74 Lacs and an additional INR 4 Lacs for the Season MVP. 22 esports athletes, 11 male and 11 female, will represent all 11 ISL clubs, driving inclusivity with the growing female presence in the esports arena.

A total of 117 matches will be played as this new esports tournament in collaboration with NODWIN Gaming and EA SPORTS TM will determine the champion of the eISL and will also be an official league qualifying event to the EA SPORTS TM FIFA22 GLOBAL SERIES (FGS) Playoffs as ISL becomes the contributing league for the global tournament post its historic inclusion in EA SPORTS TM FIFA 22.

Aspiring EA SPORTS TM FIFA 22 esports athletes of the country will compete in a total of 11 online qualifiers. Each qualifier will determine the representatives for the 11 clubs – 1 qualifier per club. Each club will play 2 athletes – 1 male & 1 female. An additional 12th all-female qualifiers will determine the selection of the female players in each club.  The rest of the 11 qualifiers will be held in the order of the final ISL 2020-21 season standings. The tournament will have online qualifiers, regular season and grand finals. The clubs will play round-robin matches alongside the inaugural eISL season and a leader board will be put in place. The top 4 clubs will advance to the Grand Finals. The finalists will play in a double-elimination format to determine the winner. Keeping the safety measures in place, a bio-secure bubble will be set up for players in Gurugram, Haryana during the course of the eISL season.

 

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Says Martin Bain, Chief Executive Officer at FSDL, “Fan engagement is one of the key factors to building a sport and expanding its footprint. The growing online gaming landscape in India provides a great opportunity to engage with the next generation of fans in the country. The esports experience is vital to the future of football and we continue to evolve towards its growth.”

“eISL is an exciting platform and we are confident that it will lead the evolution of fan engagement and contribute significantly to boost the sport’s popularity in the country.”

“NODWIN Gaming along with Indian Super League and EA SPORTS TM aims to select the best FIFA players through EA SPORTS TM FIFA Global Series India Qualifiers. The strong equity of ISL in India, coupled with the vibrancy of FIFA 22 is sure to spark the intrigue of viewers and players alike. This is sure to bring joy to the millions of esports fans in India”, said Mr. Akshat Rathee, MD & Co-Founder, NODWIN Gaming.

EA SPORTS TM FIFA Global Series, the most inclusive esports tournament has reached the sub-continent as part of its global expansion. With many of the world’s biggest football leagues running qualifying events, the EA SPORTS TM FIFA Global Series brings mammoth participation and viewership. NODWIN Gaming aims to bring together the followers of the sport and the lovers of esports under one blanket to embrace the beauty of the sport in a different shape and form.

The qualifications will take place between 1-3 November 2021 and the Grand Finals on 19 & 20 March 2022.

Registrations for the qualifiers will be held on ESL Play and from the events section on PlayStation. Players will have to create an ESL Play ID to register for the tournament on the ESL Play platform. The minimum age to enter the competition is 16.

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The youthful duo of Charanjot Singh (18) and Siddh Chandarana (20), will be India’s first-ever representatives at the Qualifiers, competing for the ultimate prize — a chance to represent your flag at the FIFAe Nations Cup 2021. They will, however, face tough opposition in the form of South Africa, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East and Africa Zone.

“It means a lot to me!” exclaims Charanjot, who was crowned Champion of the AIFF eFootball Challenge held recently to pick the Indian squad.

“This (AIFF eFootball Challenge) was the first tournament of its kind for India and now if we finish in the top two of the FIFAe Qualifiers and earn the right to represent India at the eNations, it would be absolutely amazing to be among the top 24 countries in the world, not even in Asia.”

Charanjot’s journey into the world of eSports began at a “local tournament” which he signed up for at the tender age of 15, “There was a tournament in Chandigarh where all the top players arrived and participated. I played it like a local tournament and didn’t know that it was a national tournament until I actually won it. So, that was when I decided that I could go pro.”

“I think people think it’s easy to play video games,” says Charanjot. “You just sit there in front of the monitor and play. But, it’s really tough. The level of competition is extremely high. You have to play day-in-day-out, give your best, learn the new mechanics that the game has to offer and constantly adapt. To be at the top every week, every month and every year is really tough.”

The youngster, who will compete on the PlayStation 4 at the Qualifiers, has had to juggle both his studies and an eSports career, but is immensely grateful for a supportive family, “During this time, I also had my exams and practicals. They (family) cooperated very well and allowed me to carry on with both commitments side-by-side so I’m thankful to them for that.”

“My parents do force me (to study).” chuckles Charanjot, on being cross-questioned, “But even before, like in my 10th, I used to manage my studies and my FIFA career so they know that I can manage it myself and get good results in exams and FIFA.”

While Charanjot started at a relatively young age, his teammate Siddh initially harboured dreams of becoming a professional footballer. “I’ve been a football fan ever since I was a kid. I used to play professional football as well but then I had bronchitis and would get tired easily. Doctors told me I had to stop since it was affecting my lungs. So, I had to stop playing completely but that’s when I took up FIFA due to my love for the game. That’s when I started entering tournaments and I knew that I have something in me so that’s why I choose to follow it.”

A self-confessed Arsenal fan, Siddh turned professional in 2017 and after a tournament win in Singapore, he was snapped up by M10 sports, a professional eSports team owned and created by former Arsenal player and German FIFA World Cup winner Mesut Ozil.

“Ozil follows only three Indians on Twitter — Shahrukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and me. He used to keep tagging me in his stories so that was quite some experience.” beams Siddh.

But, playing ‘video games’ isn’t all fun and games. “It affects your social life. You see your friends enjoying and you have to be on your couch. Every weekend, we have to clock in 30 games in 48 hours and so rarely do you get a chance to go out. You have to be in front of your screen and it gets tiring and exhausting but you have to prepare in that way.” warns Siddh.

But while the journey is a demanding one, Siddh hasn’t had to tackle it all on his own. “I think my family has been very supportive. Especially my dad. He’s always been there no matter what. I just want to thank him for showing all the faith and believing in me since day one. You know in India we still have a lot of question marks about a career in eSports but my dad and my family have been very supportive so I’m very grateful for that.”

However, now that they’re within touching distance of reaching the main stage of them all, the FIFAe Nations Cup, what are their expectations from the upcoming qualifiers?

“I expect us to be in the top two,” states Charanjot. “We have a great roster of players and I think we can finish in the top two and represent India at the eNations. Both of us are playing extremely well right now, we’re in good form and hopefully, we can do a good job in the qualifiers and move forward together.”

“It’s the first time we will compete in a FIFA tournament officially. So we’ll give it everything we have,” says Siddh. “We hope the fans support us because we have what it takes to get to the highest level and it won’t be possible without their support.”

CREDITS: AIFF MEDIA

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