Riot Games‘ recently-announced Belgian League has announced its first two sponsors in the form of Audi and OMEN by HP.
The computer hardware manufacturer and automobile manufacturer will sponsor the league for the duration of its first season, which is being ran by Riot Games in cooperation with events and broadcasting company 4Entertainment.
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The sponsorships come just one week ahead of the competition kicking off, with the first match commencing on January 20th. The Belgian League was launched by Riot Games in November alongside the Dutch League. These national leagues come as part of the developer’s collection of European Regional Leagues (ERLs), an initiative that aims to create a healthy ecosystem across the continent.
While Riot Games still oversees both leagues under the Benelux umbrella, both leagues will operate as officially-sanctioned, independently-run competitions that feed into European Masters. The leagues will mirror the LEC format, comprising of Spring and Summer Splits.
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The sponsorships from Audi and OMEN by HP indicate strong steps from the Belgian League to replicate the success and status of other European leagues, such as Spain’s SuperLiga Orange, France’s Ligue Française de LoL, and the DACH region’s newly-rebranded Prime League.
The professionalisation of the Belgian and Dutch scenes will see players who compete in these competitions receive more standardised contracts and have them listed in the Riot Games’ global contract database.
Esports Insider says: Garnering two big sponsors in preparation for competition launch is a great sign for building a sustainable league at this crucial early stage. Along with the business benefits, sponsorships such as these are strong indicators of the legitimacy and professionalism that will be expected from teams and players.
