The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is backing an initiative by esports organisation LDN UTD, aimed at tackling youth unemployment. 

Through the new LDN UTD Inter-Borough Esports Championships, young Londoners will be given the opportunity to compete against each other in FIFA 21 or NBA 2K. The tournaments will be streamed on Twitch and hosted by Rambo, founding member of LDN UTD’s Social Impact Thinktank and lead FIFA content creator. 

Youngsters in Hackney, Kingston, Lambeth, and Lewisham, will also get the chance to attend various digital workshops, hosted in partnership with Staffordshire University London – one of the first schools offering a specialised esports degree – the University of Salford, and the University of East London. The workshops will focus on subjects including video editing, social media management, and graphics design. 

Special guests, including FaZe Clan’s FIFA star Tassel ‘Tass’ Rushan will also be making appearances, and some lucky attendees will get the opportunity to intern for LDN UTD. 

Discussing the initiative 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.”

While Founder and CEO of LDN UTD, Oliver Weingarten, 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.”

LDN UTD currently fields teams in League of Legends and Dota 2, and has commercial partnerships with Razer, HyperX, Logitech G, ESL, Chipotle, Low Cost Glasses, 1080 Media TV, and Bio Synergy. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the UK and other countries facing many years of economic hardship thanks to the insane actions of politicians, including Sadiq Khan, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s perhaps a little grating that the Mayor is involved with this otherwise extremely positive initiative. 

So, kudos to LDN UTD and everyone else involved in this project – we’re sure it will be the spark that leads to many exciting careers. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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