The Mayor Of London Backs LDN UTD To Address Youth Unemployment

The Mayor of London has joined forces with esports org LDN UTD to provide participants from across the capital with a unique opportunity to pursue a career in one of the world’s fastest growing industries.

Esports is competitive video gaming and seen as the fastest growing consumer industry in the world, with gamers from all over the world competing and forging successful careers in titles such as FIFA, Fortnite, and League of Legends.

The LDN UTD Inter-Borough Esports Championships will use the power of esports and education to tackle rising rates of youth unemployment.

Young people across the Boroughs of Hackney, Kingston, Lambeth and Lewisham will be able to sign up to a range of digital workshops, hosted in partnership with Staffordshire University London, Salford University and the University of East London. The workshops will be themed around a variety of topics including video editing, social media management and graphic design – all skills that have been a contributing factor in making esports a billion-pound industry worldwide, with global audiences eclipsing 500 million already in 2020.

Each workshop is designed to give participants a taste of the skills required to forge a career in that given industry, and how those skills are transferable into the world of esports. Leading experts and special guests will offer unique insights throughout the workshops, including FaZe Clan’s FaZe Tass – one of esports biggest names. There will also be the opportunity for some participants to further their education and experience through work experience or an internship with LDN UTD – the esports org that unites gaming and esports with social responsibility – and other industry partners.

In tandem with the digital workshops, budding gamers from the four Boroughs will go head-to-head in the inaugural LDN UTD Inter-Borough Esports Championships, which will give players the option of competing in either FIFA ‘21 or NBA 2K from 5th – 19th December. The tournament will be broadcast live across streaming platform Twitch and hosted by Rambo, founding member of LDN UTD’s Social Impact Thinktank and lead FIFA content creator.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “The growth of esports over the past 12 months has been considerable. The industry is generating millions of pounds for our economy, as well as creating much needed jobs for our community, particularly here in London. With that growth comes a level of responsibility, and I am proud that my Sport Unites programme is able to help fund LDN UTD, an organisation who are using their platform and the power of esports.”

Oliver Weingarten, Founder and CEO of LDN UTD said: “The broader perception of esports is often focused around the very best individuals or teams competing in global tournaments – but in reality, there are lots of other roles that play a vital part in creating this hyper-modern entertainment form and we’re hoping to shine a light on that over the coming months.

As the epicenter of the UK’s esports industry, we want to encourage young people from across London that this isn’t just something you do at home with your friends, it really is a viable career option.”