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FIRST EVER E-SPORTS HUB LAUNCHED ON THE WIRRAL
Our inside man at Tranmere Rovers , Martyn Best , reports on an exciting initiative at Tranmere Rovers .
Last month Tranmere Rovers opened Merseyside ’ s first esports hub at Prenton Park , catering both to casual gamers and competitive esports players .
There are an estimated 3 billion gamers worldwide - roughly a third of the world ’ s population , and participation in esports ( which is simply competitive gaming ) is growing at a rapid pace .
Rocket League , one of the popular esports games , has over 80 million players and a whole ecosystem of professional players , managers , coaches , agents , physiotherapists , and psychologists exists in the esports world , in an exact mirror of traditional professional football .
Despite the rapid growth of esports , and specialist venues popping up all over the country , until now there were no such facilities on Merseyside .
Tranmere Rovers are very excited to be the first to launch one and should this prove to be popular the Club has big plans for expansion to a larger venue in the next 18 months . These growth plans will offer training camps for professional players , utilising the Club ’ s physiotherapists , nutritionists and gym facilities .
Equipped with state-of-the-art gaming PCs , and top of the range ergonomic chairs , the current venue caters to gamers of all ages and abilities can book slots to play , currently for only £ 5 an hour .
From September , during the daytime the esports hub will be used as a classroom for students studying the new esports BTEC , before being used as a recreational venue in the evenings .
For the more competitive players , the Club is shortly to host trials to compete for a place on the Club ’ s newly formed Tranmere Vikings esports teams , with Valorant and Rocket League being added to the Club ’ s existing FIFA team .
The new venue is also proving very popular for birthday parties , with a variety of exclusive-use packages available from only £ 90 for 12 participants .
Nicola Palios , the Club ’ s Vice Chair said “ The huge growth of esports is something that has happened almost unnoticed to many of us brought up on traditional field sports , but it is impossible to ignore its popularity , and the opportunities that it offers .
“ Young people can combine a passion for gaming with academic studies which lead to a huge range of careers options , both within esports and in the wider digital economy .
“ We are very proud to be leading the focus on this exciting area in Merseyside ”.
Anyone interested in participating in the trials for Tranmere Vikings teams , or booking a party at the esports venue , can contact esports @ tranmererovers . co . uk .
Bookings for the venue can be made at https :// letsbookfor . com / merseyside-esports-arena
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