UCFB Etihad Campus student Matt Butterworth was crowned the inaugural UCFB esports champion following an epic competition across both campuses.
Following his victory at the Etihad leg of the FIFA tournament, Matt travelled to UCFB Wembley to take on the London-based winner and student Nafis Chowdhury. Following a thrilling 6-3 win in the first leg, Matt, playing as Barcelona, went into the second game with a big advantage. A courageous 4-3 victory for Nafis and Juventus restored some pride, but Matt, a BA (Hons) Multimedia Sports Journalism student, took home the trophy and £1,000 prize with a 9-7 aggregate win.
Matt and Nafis were two of 62 students from both campuses that took part in the event, which was run by esports experts Player 1 Events. Player 1 provided all the equipment on the day as well as registering participants.
Both events were streamed on Facebook and commentated on by UCFB’s very own esports stars Brandon Smith and Richard Buckley, who’ve become the voice of the world-famous EA Sports game.
Commenting on his win, Matt said: “The final was an emotional rollercoaster! Before a ball was kicked I was apprehensive, but not nervous, as I had previously been able to watch the Wembley final, giving me the opportunity to scope the playing style and tactics of Nafis.”
He added: “I was relieved when the game finished as Nafis took it down to the wire, but as soon as the final ball was kicked I was thrilled! Reflecting on the event, which I was honoured to be part of, I was very impressed with how UCFB had created this experience for students at both campuses. A big mention has to go to Player 1 and commentators Richard and Brandon who all collaborated in making this event a spectacle for people to follow online.”
