Welcome to the UKEL
Welcome to the UKEL! We are an independent UK esports tournament, created with the aim of cultivating esports talent within the UK and Ireland.
In recent years, the UK esports scene has been propelled onto the international stage – the emergence of London-based LEC team ExCel and the Riot-funded, UKLC championship, ran by LVP, both doing their part to highlight the budding esports talent that exists up and down the country.
Our aim is to further this investment in UK talent by providing an unofficial “division 2” for League of Legends players in the UK; a place where participants can play with, and against the best emerging talent across the country and make a name for themselves within the industry. We felt the idea of a second division is something that the UK was sorely lacking, to allow future stars a place to gain experience in an organized tournament format before hitting the big leagues, something that few other UK and Irish organisations are offering.
Our aim is to further this investment in UK talent by providing an unofficial “division 2” for League of Legends players in the UK
With the UKEL we want to develop talent outside of the traditional parameters of Riot’s official tournaments, which in previous years were somewhat inaccessible for UK players, and create a stepping stone for players looking to make a career within esports. The introduction of LVP’s UKLC, and subsequently of the Forge of Champions, has been a massive step up in the UK scene, but there is a clear gap between the amateur scene and the UKLC that can make it hard for semi-professional players to transition fully into an esports career.
The presence of industry giants such as Fnatic and Excel, both owners of current UKLC and LEC teams, means that it can be hard for smaller organisations to find their voice. Our aim is to provide a portal through which both players and teams can showcase their prowess, and hopefully add to an environment of esports excellence that the UK can be truly proud of.
Bringing the UKEL to Life
Since our conception, we have been working hard to make our league a reality, and are happy to announce the eight organisations that will be working alongside us and competing in the UKEL summer tournament. All our participating organisations are based right in the UK and Ireland, they share our dedication to providing a forum for talented players to compete at a high level and showcase their ability. Our teams boast rosters loaded with skilled newcomers, many of whom found their start in the UK scene through university leagues, and we hope that we can provide them with the chance they need to kickstart a career in the esports industry, alongside an opportunity to hone their skills in regular high-level, co-ordinated gameplay in a structured environment, designed to showcase the best of the UK’s amateur scene.
UKEL Structure
The tournament will run as 28, Best of 1 (BO1) games, streamed live from the UKEL twitch channel over a 7 week period, beginning on the 29th of July. Each team will play each other once and earn points for each win.
What to expect
Alongside our regular streams, we will be providing you with a host of other content through social media – expect player interviews, weekly roundups, and numerous chances to get to know our teams a little better.
