Thursday 18 January 2018 17:17, UK
Former Netherlands forward Ruud Gullit has announced the launch of Team Gullit - his own esports venture.
The project sees the ex-Chelsea and Newcastle manager become an ambassador of his own FIFA esports academy. Three FIFA players have initially been signed to the Team Gullit academy - Floris Jorna, 18, Julian van den Berg, 17, and 16-year-old Dani Visser.
“I ended up in the world of FIFA because of my two sons. One of them plays professional football and my other son enjoys playing FIFA more than playing football in real life."
Gullit's project sees his academy become the first professional independent esports academy focused on FIFA. The organisation will support the players through training and coaching, as well as developing software tools to analyse and improve the gameplay on both a strategic and tactical level.
The staff at the academy will also look to assist players with social media and developing a personal brand.
Gullit said: "I ended up in the world of FIFA because of my two sons. One of them plays professional football and my other son enjoys playing FIFA more than playing football in real life. When I visited the FIFA World Championships last year, I realised that there is such an enormous world behind the video game. The strategy and the choices that the FIFA players make have a strong resemblance to the real-life sport."
The ultimate goal for any FIFA player is to win the FIFA eWorld Cup, previously known as the FIFA Interactive World Cup. Last year, England's Spencer "Gorilla" Ealing was crowned champion and took home a $200,000 cheque after winning the grand finals in London.
