Final stage of the Malta BOV ePremier League launched
Malta FA President Bjorn Vassallo and Minister for the Economy and Industry, Silvio Schembri, have launched the final phase of the National BOV ePremier League which is being held for the second year in collaboration with the GMR and FIFA.
A digital premier league involving local football clubs and which gives a new dimension to esports in this sector; a league which is estimated to have a following of more than 40,000 people.
Minister Schembri said the Government will proceed with work to strengthen the existing ecosystem for this sector, as well as the skills sought in order to continue forging new career and opportunities.
“I welcome here the substantial number of young people who have taken and are taking part in the BOV ePremier League, which was launched with 300 participants and has now reached 16 in its final stage.
He added, “This league is reaching out to amateurs who may not have yet taken that step to participate; from here I urge them to take the plunge because in the future this sector will continue to grow.
“This is an initiative which rightly so bolsters the local esports ecosystem, where we are investing in our ‘grassroots’, the Maltese players, enabling us to build this sector on a solid foundation,’ said Minister Schembri.
This National League unites the world of football with that of esports.
MFA President Bjorn Vassallo acknowledged the fact that we are witnessing football clubs invest in digital game players, so they can participate in this ePremier league, leading to more young people taking esports seriously and training rigorously in this type of digital sport.
"This collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Industry when it comes to eSports is essential and allows important objectives of technological innovation to be achieved, one of the aspects behind the strategy being pursued by the Malta Football Association.
“Since 2017, the Association has started a digitization process that recently has also been extended to innovation through projects related to artificial intelligence and other methods.
Vassallo added, "Esports attracts thousands of followers and creates great competition between players and teams, both locally and internationally.
"Malta will be represented in the eNations Cup through the eNational Team, which is currently undergoing intensive training, with a considerable number of friendly matches lined-up for the coming days", Bjorn Vassallo concluded.
Kersten Chircop from GMR Entertainment said they are delighted with this collaborative work for the second edition of the Malta BOV ePremier League, a competition that has enhanced the local sports industry in several respects, especially when it comes to player opportunities.
“Being part of the EA Sports Global Series, many local players are showing more interest year after year, as they all know how difficult it is to reach the final stages of this competition. This is reflected in the number of registrations we have seen this year with an increase of around 20%”, Chircop concluded.