Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment has signed a four-year deal with esports tournament operator ESL to host ESL One, making the Barclays Center in Brooklyn home to ESL’s largest annual event this side of the Atlantic through 2020.
The deal is believed to be the first multiyear contract between an esports property and a major U.S. sporting venue. A recently formed joint venture of ESL and AEG Facilities will take on the financial risk of the events under a rental agreement that calls on the Barclays Center to handle local promotion.
Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CEO Brett Yormark said his company, which owns the Brooklyn Nets, is not interested in acquiring an esports franchise like many other NBA teams. But esports are a strong draw and good for the venue’s reputation.
“We like the position we’ve taken, and that is a major host venue for esports events, not just at Barclays but as we further grow our venue pipeline,” Yormark said, referring to the new Nassau Coliseum.
The first ESL One New York, in October, featured a $250,000 tournament in “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” and drew 8,500 fans each of the two days. While the future of esports remains fluid, both sides are confident enough in each other to commit, AEG Facilities CEO Chuck Steedman said.
“It’s a very solid core event in a great market, in a great venue,” Steedman said. “So the event may change shape over the course of this deal as the esports world evolves and emerges, but the fact remains Barclays Center is a fantastic venue in a fantastic market.”
With AEG’s help, ESL is determining its best markets and trying to strike long-term deals with venues in all of those cities, ESL America CEO Craig Levine said. AEG operates Barclays Center but does not handle booking.
“A big piece of what we want to do with these events is really creating a more long-standing presence, and a longer horizon for it,” Levine said.
A sustained relationship with Barclays Center will help both sides fine-tune their presentation of the weekend tournaments and build a returning customer base, Levine said, and they hope it will change the unpredictable nature of the global esports calendar. Also, it could lead to easy revenue growth because fan and sponsor showcase capacity can be added in the same facility if demand grows.
The first ESL One New York event under the new contract is scheduled for Sept. 16-17. It will again feature a $250,000 “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” tournament.
