eSports

EXCEL ESPORTS launches BT Power of Better Awards, names gaming charity SpecialEffect as inaugural winner of main award

Published

3 years ago

December 21, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

EXCEL ESPORTS, the leading British competitive gaming culture brand, has today announced that UK based gaming charity SpecialEffect has won EXCEL’s inaugural BT Power of Better Award, the focal award at its recently launched BT Power of Better Awards.

The BT Power of Better Awards, organised by EXCEL and its lead partner BT, is a new series of awards for EXCEL, its staff, players and its community.
The focal award is the BT Power of Better Award itself, which recognises an individual or organisation in the esports community that has made a lasting better change for the esports community in 2020.
UK Gaming Charity SpecialEffect has been presented with the award due to its ongoing support in 2020 for severely physically disabled and vulnerable people, by continuing its life-transforming work through online assessments, remote support and equipment supervision, despite the impact of COVID-19.
SpecialEffect is a charity that specialises in helping physically disabled people play video games. The organisation works with developers to create personalised game control devices as well as make their games more accessible.
Other BT Power of Better Awards include the LOL Player of the Year, LOL Blooper of the Year, LOL Fan of the Year, LOL Doggo of the Year and LOL Moment of the Year.
The Power of Better Awards follows EXCEL’s recent brand update which included the unveiling of a bold and unique visual identity in esports that saw it evolve into a professional team that adds purpose to its passion for gaming through its unique vision of The Power of Better; a commitment to improve in everything it does and to use its platform to have a positive impact on the wider gaming and esports community.
As part of the award win, EXCEL and BT have made a donation of £500 towards the charity.

Kieran Holmes Darby, Co-Founder and Chief Gaming Officer of EXCEL ESPORTS said: “Every single year I’m completely blown away by the work that SpecialEffect does and in the face of a global pandemic, the charity has gone above and beyond to continue to support the vulnerable people it exists to help, by bringing them the fun and inclusivity that video games have to offer. I’m truly honoured to name the charity the winner of the inaugural BT Power of Better Award, there is simply no other organisation that I know of that deserves this more than them.”

Tom Donegan, Fundraising and Communications Team Leader, at SpecialEffect, said: “Kieran and the team at EXCEL ESPORTS were one of the first organisations to welcome us into the world of esports several years ago, when we first started attending events and tournaments to raise awareness of SpecialEffect amongst the community. Since then, we’ve been really lucky to make many great friends from across the esports ecosystem, from individual players and teams, to national and international organisations, who have all been incredibly generous in their support of the charity. What seems to be true across the board is a real affinity with our work and a deep understanding of how enabling people with physical disabilities to play videogames can have such a positive and life-changing impact. In a year that has brought with it so many serious challenges, it is wonderful to have our work recognised with this award and we are incredibly grateful to everyone involved.”

eSports

North Star Network Acquires Um Dois Esportes

Published

12 hours ago

April 26, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

north-star-network-acquires-um-dois-esportes

North Star Network has acquired Um Dois Esportes, a sports coverage and analysis site created from the merger of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020.

Julien Josset, co-founder of North Star Network, said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.”

NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

Rafael Mello, Director of GRPCOM, said: “We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions. We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”

Alona Shevtsova

L&G esports team founded by Alona Shevtsova won the national Dragon EC Cup tournament

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

l&g-esports-team-founded-by-alona-shevtsova-won-the-national-dragon-ec-cup-tournament

Ukrainian esports team L&G won the Dragon EC Cup tournament, held on the 20th of April by Dragon Esports Club. Four teams competed in the tournament’s final: Lazer Cats, L&G, which received a direct invitation to the final stage, EsportsBattle, and ThunderFlash, which had open qualifiers. During the Grand Final, the L&G team competed with Lazer Cats on Mirage, Anubis, and Vertigo maps.

“This victory is a testament to the exceptional talent and commitment of our players, as well as the collective effort of our coaching staff and support personnel,” said Alona Shevtsova, founder of L&G Esports. “We are immensely proud of their accomplishments and grateful for the unwavering support of our fans.”

L&G is among the top 5 Ukrainian teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It was founded in 2021. The previous name was Leogaming, and it was created on the initiative of the famous Alona Shevtsova from the fintech sector.

The team began competing in top tournaments and almost immediately made it to the Advanced division of the ESEA League Europe competition. The team also participated in and took prizes in European tournaments such as the SCL League, WhiteBit Crypto Open, Phoenix League, and local competitions. The team players are marat2k, r0ublE, kr1vda, kL1o, OneUn1que, rji (coach).

The winners received a 50,000 UAH prize. Dragon Esports Club also prepared a 15-skin giveaway for the broadcast’s viewers.

It is worth mentioning that the L&G team created its merch items, which are available for order worldwide. To get more information about the team, visit the L&G Instagram page, Twitch, or Telegram Channel.