Esports and Premier League enthusiasts converge on Atlanta for festival

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

On Saturday, merch booths, food vendors and a DJ stand (featuring DJ Jay Shalé and DJ Brannew) were set up on the main concourse overlooking the field. The booths encircled the heart of the event, the esports competition zone, where about two dozen televisions were arranged in clusters and hooked up to PlayStations and Xboxes.

For most of the day, video gamers of all ages competed in a knockout-style open tournament. In the game, one competitor controls an entire team, switching between digital players as they move their team down the pitch and attempt to score goals.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Open tournament competitors were battling to win prizes. First place won an all-expenses paid trip to the U.K. to watch a live Premier League match. The runner-up won a signed Premier League shirt.

Sarah McKeever, product manager at EA Sports FC, said the open tournament winner was memorably excited by his victory.

“He took his United top off and did that cheer so loud it is etched in my brain,” she said.

It was just the type of hype and excitement McKeever and her team at EA was hoping for.

“We wanted to create a whole indoor festival where anyone could engage with every kind of facet of the Summer Series and the ePL,” McKeever said about the festival, which was the inaugural of its kind the nation.

Atlanta was a strategic choice.

“The city has a deep history of sports fandom, particularly for soccer with Atlanta United, and a growing, passionate local community,” said Monica Dinsmore, head of esports at EA. “This is the first time we’ve brought an ePL competition to America, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the global reach of the Premier League, EA Sports FC and EA Sports FC Mobile with fans in the area.”

Outside the stadium, brands with a connection to the Premier League set up fan activation stations. NBC’s streaming service, Peacock (which streams exclusive live football matches), parked its royal purple double-decker bus outside.

A trophy lift station invited kids to feel the weight of triumph. Representatives from Topps trading cards wandered the crowds giving away free, collectible sports cards with Premier League players on them.

In the evening, some celebrities, influencers and professional soccer players faced off in the X4 Superstar Head-to-Head, playing as one of four teams from the Premier League Summer Series: Manchester United, Everton, West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Professional footballers who took part in the competition included: James Garner, Nathan Patterson and Tim Iroegbunam of Everton, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo of West Ham United and Will Dennis and Alex Paulsen of AFC Bournemouth. Some professional footballers signed autographs and did meet-and-greets throughout the day with lines as long as 90 minutes.

Also in the Superstar Head-to-Head was Georgia’s own Kelley O’Hara. O’Hara, who grew up in Fayetteville and won multiple World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal before a knee injury forced her retirement in 2024.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Since stepping off the soccer field, O’Hara has embraced a new chapter in media as a podcaster, broadcast sports analyst on CBS, indie filmmaker (her short film “Ripe!” just won for Best Narrative Short at the 2024 Tribeca Film festival) and, now, esports.

“I’m competitive no matter what arena I’m in. Whether it’s a World Cup final or a video game, I want to win,” she said. “Now that I can’t physically play soccer anymore, it’s fun to be able to get out and play soccer through gaming.”

Video games are also nostalgic for O’Hara, who remembers gaming as a child before soccer matches. She had been urged by her coach to do something competitive to get in the right mindset before getting on the field.

“I would have my Game Boy, and I would literally be playing Mario Smash (before soccer games),” she remembers.

O’Hara played in the Superstar Head-to-Head against Doctur Dot, a rapper from EarthGang, which performed at the close of the festival.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Jeffrey Latham, communications lead for EA esports, said the event, and others like it, play an important role in getting younger audiences to connect with soccer.

“We know that for a lot of sports like soccer or football, the average age of the fan is getting older who watches the traditional leagues,” Latham said. “(Electronic Arts) creates a bridge for a younger crowd to get into those traditional sports. … We are often the first port of call for a younger player base as they start to spread their wings in this space.”

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

As the day wrapped up at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium, esports fans could look forward to watching the global stage in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the FC Pro World Championship is being played at the Esports World Cup from Thursday-Aug. 10.

This year is the first time that EA Sports FC has been included in the World Cup’s massive multi title competition. Thirty-two elite EA Sports FC 25 players will compete for a $1 million prize pool. Viewers can catch matches live on the official EA Sports FC Pro YouTube and Twitch channels.