The Australian Esports League (AEL) proudly announces the results of the 2017 AEL National Trials for the 9th Esports World Championship, hosted by the International Esports Federation (IeSF) from the 8th-12th November 2017 in Busan, South Korea.
The Australian Esports Association (AESA) has committed to sending a full national squad to represent the Australia in each of the major titles at the 9th Esports World Championship, comprising of support staff and the winners of the 2017 AEL Nationals. The combined squad forms Team Australia and will go on to face up to 40 other nations at the 9th Esports World Championship, competing for national pride, prestige and medal placements.
Proudly supported by AOC, Sennheiser, E-Blue, Origin PC, BLK Sport and the Australian eSports Association, Team Australia will be represented by:
- The Chiefs Esports Club in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Alistair ‘aliStair’ Johnston, Liam ‘malta’ Schembri, Oliver ‘Dickstacy’ Tierney, Peter ‘pecks’ Nguyen and Tyler ‘tucks’ Reilly)
- Gabe ‘XXMFFNTP’ Najarro in Tekken 7
Rewatch all the action from the grand finals of the AEL Nationals at Fox Sports Australia’s new esports section, found at: https://www.foxsports.com.au/esports
The 2017 AEL National Trials commenced with preliminary stages running from the 29th July until 27th August, with Tekken 7 comprising of four state bases offline events and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive comprising of online events.
The top competitors from the preliminary stages progressed to the grand finals event which featured on Fox Sports Australia’s new esports section over the weekend 15-17th September, hosted by the Australian Esports League.
In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive the Chiefs Esports Club bested Kings Gaming Club 2-1 in the best-of-three grand finals. You can re-watch the action on Fox Sports Australia here: 2017 AEL Nationals Tekken 7 Grand Finals.
In Tekken 7 Gabe ‘XXMFFNTP’ Najarro came out on top for NSW in a nail-biting grand final. You can re-watch the action on Fox Sports Australia here: 2017 AEL Nationals CS:GO Grand Finals.
President of the Australian Esports Association and the host of the 2017 AEL National Trials grand final event says that, “I am genuinely excited by this year’s talent, our national squad promises to place well and potentially earn some medals this year. This is a fantastic opportunity for players to gain the recognition and respect for their profession and to show the world we are a leading nation in esports.”
Last year Team Australia placed 9th overall after facing off against 37 other nations at the 8th Esports World Championships held in Jakarta, Indonesia from the 5th-10th October 2016. In the three games represented, Australia placed:
- Equal 5th-8th in League of Legends
- Equal 5th-8th in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Eliminated in the Groups Stage in Hearthstone
The journey for Team Australia last year was captured in a highlight video which can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lAnpWd0oDg
Established in 2013 the AESA is the official member representing Australia at the IeSF. It is working with federal government agencies to formally recognise esports, with a focus on developing Athlete welfare, rights and support.
The IeSF is currently comprised of 45 member nations, 25 of which fully recognise esports at their respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) and sports authority, with the core goal of developing policy and regulation for esports across the globe. With the added goal of promoting and elevating esports into traditional sports societies such as the Olympics.
About Esports
Esports is one of the fastest growing social phenomenon in the world with the audience growing from 90 million in 2014 to over 120 million in 2017. It is anticipated that by 2019 this audience will exceed 150 million, and grow from a USD 500 million industry in 2015 to a USD 1.1 billion industry in 2019.
In Australia alone there are 1.5 million esports fanatics with 78% being 18-35 out of a total gaming population of 16.5 million persons.
The Asia Pacific region accounts for 44% of this market of which Australia sits in a prime position to participate in this audience as a global leader in eSports.
You can follow the Australian Esports Association on facebook and twitter.
To find out more about the Australian Esports League you can visit www.ael.org.au or follow them on facebook and twitter.
