EPT
![[image loading]](http://image.fighterforum.com/showImage.asp?realFile=FFNEWS20060227163042001.JPG)
Hwaseung, a Korean sportswear and equipment company, has signed a deal with Plus team, to create a full-fledged sponsered team. Hwaseung is the owner of several brands, including Lecaf and the Korean rights to K-Swiss.
Plus will now probably take the name of Lecaf.
The deal includes yearly salaries for the coach and players, a sizable apartment (364 square meters) for dorm/training rooms, and a van for transportation. Lecaf is also in the process of designing a logo and new uniforms. Apparantly the uniforms in the pictures are temporary.
...aaaand interviews!
▶ Coach Cho Jung-woong.
I would like to thank the executives at Hwaseung who made the difficult decision to sponser a team.
Heading a pro gaming team through the years brought me much joy, but there were also many difficulties. As everyone knows, the realities of non-corporate teams are dark but we were always able to perservere thanks to the players who trusted and followed me.
Now we are reborn as team Lecaf. Now can can stretch the our cramped wings and become a new team. More than anything else, I'm happy that the practice conditions of our players will improve. I would like to bow my head to everybody at Hwaseung and express my gratitude.
After the good news we joked that "now we can eat beef instead of pork." It still feels like a dream.
▶ Bright[z-zOne] (Captain)
The ceremony is over but I still can't believe it. I feel like I'm dreaming. It's a little sad to let the Plus name go, because we've been with it through thick and thin. But it makes me very happy to continue on with the same players and coaches who went through hard times together.
I really will work hard and becomes a progamer that always contributes to this team. Now we can look back at all the hardships we had at Plus and laugh.
“To those who gave the green light at Hwaseung, thank you very much. I will do my best”
▶ Anytime
First of all I want to thank the executives at Hwaseung. I still can't believe it.
It's already been 2 years since I joined the team. There were all kinds of hardships in that time. At times when I lost practice time making dinner or doing the laundery I always envied the corporate team's players. All of my teammates were dreaming about this, and now that dream has become reality. I can see all our hardships flashing before my eyes. I do feel apologetic for the players who couldn't stay with us to this moment and left.
I want to thank our coach for sticking with me even when I was too nearsighted to see the big picture.
They say there is light at the end of the tunnel. I will do my best as a member of team Lecaf. More than anything, I will never forget the cold winter days we spent shivering when the boiler pipes burst. I will be a progamer who always plays with a beginner's frame of mind.
(there are more interviews with other team members, but it's mostly the same: thank you hwaseung, being unsponsered is real tough shit, now we will do our best and kick ass, etc.)
Part II: The corporate side
I'm going to summarize here. The representative from Hwaseung said the following:
- They have been considering this for two months. As a corporation, they have to do a lot of research, debate, and deliberation to see if this is a profitable move for the company. That's why it took so long.
- There is a lot of attention in the sportswear sector for Progaming. K-Swiss is a Hwaseung brand that supports Hanbit.("supporting" is different from "sponsering," mostly uniforms and such, no salaries for players or coaches.) Ellisse used to support Plus, Puma supports KTF, Adidas - SKT, FILA - Pantech and so on.
- Esports fans and the customer demographics for sportswear companies are almost alike. Fans = main customers. For clothes and shoe companies, e-sports is a good marketing tool.
- E-sports is a new genre of sports entertainment, with two channels dedicated to it, there is lots of penetration, and it's not just young people. The fans are more spread out than they thought. Lecaf wants to start a new marketing campaign, and starting a new team was the best way.
- Awknowledge that Plus is not a team with stars, but it is a team with much potential. Now they can focus 100% on practicing. The rest will be taken care of by Hwaseung. The goal is to become the best team in 3 years.
- Hwaseung has many interests in other ways to sponser e-sports as a whole. K-Swiss' support of Hanbit will continue independent of Plus team.
Part III: My take.
This is excellent news for progaming in general. The conditions between corporate and non-corporate teams were so different. For example, KTF has two housemaids and a cook. A team like Plus or POS has to divide the all the housekeeping amongst the players and coaches. For every team that gets properly sponsered, the progaming scene becomes stronger.
Many companies were tentatively looking into starting up a team, and now that Lecaf has put their chips on the table, hopefully other corporations will follow. Lecaf's participation hopefully means that e-sports is indeed profitable and mainstream enough to succeed for a long time in Korea.
This is good news for GO and POS, two strong teams who have been looking for a sponser.
For reference:
Big money teams: SKT T1, KTF Magic Ns, Pantec&Curitel Curriors, Samsung Khan
Medium money teams: Lecaf Plus,
Smaller money teams: Hanbitsoft, eNature Top Team
no sponser: G.O., POS, KOR, Soul
! weeeeeeeeeeeeee
