eSports player signed by MLS' New York City FC
New York City Football Club. otherwise known as New York City FC, is an American professional soccer team based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS). They are proud to announce the signing of the Club’s first-ever eSports player, Christopher Holly - a first in Major League Soccer history. The news comes as eSports continues to grow in size and popularity, Christopher will represent NYCFC in FIFA tournaments and championships across the globe.
In 2016, eSports had 256 million viewers worldwide and the industry saw a 43% year on year revenue growth. EA Sport’s FIFA, is a global game with 5 billion matches played annually along with the FIFA Interactive World Cup being recognized as the largest FIFA eSports tournament in the world. The continuous momentum eSports gains has lead NYCFC to deepen its engagement in the industry, bringing in more fans with many being avid FIFA players.
“At New York City FC, we are always looking for new ways to innovate and get closer to our gans. We are delighted to welcome Christopher Holly to the Club to represent NYCFC as the first ever eSports player in MLS,” stated Diego Gigliani, SVP, Media and Innovation, City Football Marketing. He continues by stating, “Christopher will play EA Sports FIFA at gaming tournaments around the world and challenge NYCFC fans pre-match as well as ours players...This is the next stage in our eSports strategy at City Football Group. Last year, we signed Kez Brown as Manchester City’s first eSports player and now it is great news that Christopher is joining our group.”
Christopher has been playing FIFA for 12 years, getting his start on a PS2 and playing for roughly 25 hours a week, along with an impressive set of global records as well. In the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Champions Season 1 Regional Final in Miami, he finished 4th in the PS4 division. Last month, he ranked third in the FUT Champions Leaderboard (for Americas PS4) with a win-loss record of 191-9. In December, he ranked first worldwide with the best performance across the globe, registering a record of 197-3.
Holly spoke to NYCFC.COM about the historic signing, “It’s an honor to represent NYCFC. It’s a chance of a lifetime, I’m really excited and looking forward to the future”. Christopher Holly just finished competing in FUT Champions Season 2 on April 22 and lost against xGuastellax in the FUT 17 Americas Vancouver Regional Final. He may have lost at the Grand Final but pulled quite the feat in the tournament by becoming the first player in a FUT Regional to win a final by going through the lower bracket. There is much more ahead for Christopher Holly in the world of EA Sports FIFA and New York City FC.
