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- The German Esports Federation (ESBD) has announced an amateur esports league, featuring 12 clubs from across the country.
- The competition will be organized and produced in collaboration with ESL and Freaks 4U Gaming.
- All competing players must be registered as members of their respective clubs, which will not be allowed to compensate those players.
The ESBD has announced the Vereinsliga, a grassroots competition for German esports players. The competition will feature 12 clubs representing nine states in the Republic and will be run in cooperation with Cologne-based esports company ESL and Berlin-based agency Freaks 4U Gaming, both members of the ESBD.
Slated to begin with an online round-robin phase from October to December 2019, the Vereinsliga will feature separate competitions for League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The competition’s name translates to “club league,” and reflects the fact that this is the first esports league in Germany solely featuring clubs, as opposed to corporation-owned teams—which is similar to the format used by most major sports leagues in Germany.
“With the new league, we are strengthening the amateur community in esports, paying special attention to regionality and club culture,” said Hans Jagnow, president of the ESBD. Jagnow also told The Esports Observer that, according to the rules of the Vereinsliga, clubs aren’t allowed to compensate their players for participating and that the league will not award any prize money.
The Vereinsliga will qualify teams into the Vereinspokal (club cup) in 2020, to be held for the second year running at DreamHack Leipzig, on Jan. 24. All matches will be streamed via Twitch.
