RNS Number : 3950Y
Guild Esports PLC
09 September 2020
9(th) September 2020
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This announcement is an advertisement for the purposes of the
Prospectus Rules of the UK Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and
not a prospectus and not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an
offer to subscribe for or to acquire, securities in the United
States. Neither this announcement nor anything contained herein
shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any
offer or commitment whatsoever in any jurisdiction. Investors
should not purchase or subscribe for any transferable securities
referred to in this announcement except on the basis of information
contained in the prospectus(the "UK Prospectus") in its final form
expected to be published by Guild Esports PLC in due course in
connection with the proposed admission of its ordinary shares to
the standard listing segment of the Official List maintained by the
FCA (the "Official List") and to trading on the London Stock
Exchange plc's (the "London Stock Exchange") main market for listed
securities (the "Main Market"). Copies of the UK Prospectus will,
following publication, be available for inspection from
www.guildesports.com .
Guild Esports PLC
Intention to Float on the London Stock Exchange
Guild Esports PLC (Guild or the Company), a UK-based owner and
developer of esports teams, is pleased to announce its intention to
seek a listing of its ordinary shares to the Standard Listing
segment of the London Stock Exchange this autumn.
The Company will become the first esports franchise to join the
LSE, and its founding shareholders include David Beckham, former
football player and captain of England, and now co-owner of new MLS
team Inter Miami CF.
The move comes as esports benefits from a rapidly growing fan
base worldwide with some tournaments attracting a bigger audience
than the Wimbledon tennis championships, Tour de France and the US
Open.
The Company plans to create a leading global franchise by
establishing its own esports teams to compete in major esports
tournaments and a player training and scouting infrastructure
modelled on the talent academies pioneered by Premier League
football teams over many years. Additionally, David Beckham will
use his global influence and following to support the development
of the Company's brand and business.
Guild initially plans to set up and field dedicated teams to
compete in four online games: Fortnite; CS:Go; Rocket League and
FIFA.
The esports market appears poised for further significant growth
and so the Company provides shareholders with a unique opportunity
to own a franchise that intends to create revenue through
tournament winnings, digital marketing opportunities, sponsorship,
membership, merchandise and promotional tours/events.
Proceeds from the share placing will be used to recruit new
players, invest in the Guild brand and expand the Company's
activities.
Carleton Curtis, executive chairman of Guild, said: "The growing
global popularity of esports has enabled several existing
franchises to monetise their activities through sponsorship,
retail, merchandising, apparel & product licensing, new media
& mobile, broadcasting and tournaments.
Guild will be the first esports franchise to join the London
stock market, which will provide us with the caché, credibility and
capital to fulfil our ambition to become one of the world's top ten
esports franchises within three years."
Zeus Capital and Mirabaud Securities are acting as joint brokers
and book runners for the Company.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Guild Esports
Carleton Curtis via Tancredi +44 207 887 7633
Executive Chairman
Kal Hourd
Chief Executive
Neil Thapar
Investor Relations
+44 (0) 7876 455323
------------------------------
Mirabaud
------------------------------
Joint Bookrunners and Corporate
Broker
Peter Krens +44 203 167 7221
------------------------------
Zeus Capital
------------------------------
Joint Bookrunners and Corporate
Broker
John Goold
Benjamin Robertson +44 203 829 5000
------------------------------
Tancredi Intelligent Communication
Media Relations
------------------------------
Salamander Davoudi
salamander@tancredigroup.com +44 7957 549 906
Emma Valgimigli
emma@tancredigroup.com +44 7727 180 873
------------------------------
NOTE TO EDITORS
Esports are electronic sports, usually in the form of
competitions using video or electronic games for multiple
professional players and watched at a physical venue and though
digital media.
The Company intends to create a deeply integrated global sports
franchise built on the model of successful Premier League teams and
NBA and NFL franchises. The specific elements of developing out a
global franchise include building a skilled team and choosing the
right esports games to play.
Esports players
The core asset of any sports team is its talent pool. The
Company intends to engage up to 20 esports players by the end of
2021 across its chosen game formats. The Company currently has one
FIFA player and three Rocket League players. The Company intends to
continue to enhance its player roster to enable it to field
multiple teams in all of its chosen game formats.
A fast-growing market
The esports market is large and experiencing rapid growth. In
2012, the worldwide esports audience was estimated at 134 million
viewers (of which 58 million were considered frequent viewers or
enthusiasts).
By 2019, esports had a total of 443 million viewers (of which
198 million were considered frequent or enthusiastic viewers). The
market is projected to grow to 646 million viewers by 2023. The
League of Legends championship, an annual esports event for the
online battle arena game, League of Legends, in 2017 alone
attracted a peak viewing audience of 106 million viewers, far in
excess of that of established sports such as the 2018 Wimbledon
tennis championships, the 2018 US Open (golf) and the 2017 Tour de
France.
The growth in viewers has been matched by the revenue generated
by esports, increasing from US$130 million in 2012 to US$950.6
million in 2019, an estimated US$1.1 billion in 2020 and projected
to reach US$1.55 billion by 2023. (Source: Newzoo/Statista
2019)
Key executives and board members
Carleton Curtis, Executive Director
Carleton Curtis is a global media executive with an established
record of multiplatform innovation and growth across esports,
sports and entertainment properties. Prior to Guild Esports, Mr.
Curtis served as Vice President, Programming at Activision Blizzard
since 2017 and was responsible for the global strategy and vision
of the Overwatch League, Call Of Duty League, and Major League
Gaming. Prior to joining Activision Blizzard, he led the esports
division at Red Bull as Program Director, overseeing business
operations, partnerships, programming, live events, teams &
athletes, social media, and marketing.
Before entering the esports industry in 2015, Mr. Curtis spent
seven years at Fox Sports Media Group in Los Angeles, CA. From 2013
to 2015, he served as Senior Director, Digital Strategy at Fox
Sports Digital where he led strategic operations including audience
development, partnerships, distribution, and marketing. In that
position, Mr. Curtis served as the chief digital liaison between
the UFC, Red Bull Media House, and Street League Skateboarding,
including digital support for incoming partners FIFA and the USGA.
From 2008 to 2013, Mr. Curtis served as Director, Digital Media
& Marketing at Fuel TV, a division of Fox Cable Networks, later
FS2, where he led digital strategy, production, distribution,
marketing, and partnerships.
Mr. Curtis holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and English from
the University of California at Berkeley.
Kalum (Kal) Lee Hourd, Executive Director and CEO
Kalum Hourd is an experienced esports entrepreneur. Kal Hourd
has been a successful entrepreneur and executive for more than 20
years. He has a track record of exceeding targets, building strong
business relationships, and creating work environments and cultures
that promote growth and collaboration.
During his time as an advertising executive with Directwest
Limited, Kal and his team worked directly with large corporate
advertisers across Canada and the US. They developed programs to
target their specific market in western Canada and grew Directwest
Limited's national portfolio by 140%.
As Vice President for Montana Homes Limited, Kal successfully
oversaw Montana Homes Limited's growth including growth of 55%
between 2018 and 2019. He has achieved this while keeping costs low
and delivering improved profits.
James Savage , Executive Finance Director
James is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants. He spent seven years at PKF Littlejohn LLP, most
recently as a manager in the Capital Markets team. He has provided
financial audit, corporate finance and business valuation services
to a range of companies, across various capital markets in the UK,
US and Canada. He has held roles managing audits of large
multi-national groups and has carried out valuations for investment
funds. James specialises in financial reporting, business analysis
and financial modelling.
James is the Company's Finance Director and will be responsible
for managing the financial risks of the Company and for financial
planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to the
Board.
Franklin Derek Lew (known as Derek Lew) , Non-Executive
Director
Derek Lew is an active esports investor and the Chairman of Blue
Star Capital PLC (BLU:AIM). Derek is a venture capital investor and
is the President and CEO of Growthworks Capital Limited, one of
Canada's leading venture capital firms with over $900M (CAD)
invested. He is a partner with Initio Capital Group Inc. a
Vancouver BC early stage angel investment firm and a lawyer
experienced in the areas of corporate, commercial and real estate
law. Derek is the director of the Frank and Joan Lew Charitable
Trust and the FJL Housing Society. He is a member of the Law
Society of British Columbia and hold a Bachelor of Arts from the
University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Law from the
University of Alberta.
Andrew Drake, Non-Executive Director
Andrew Drake is a seasoned esports entrepreneur and operator.
Andrew is the founder of Bad Moon Talent LLC, a leading esports
talent management and consulting company based in Los Angeles.
Prior to founding Bad Moon Talent LLC, Andrew contributed to
numerous marketing and esports initiatives within Activision,
Blizzard and Major League Gaming, including the launches of the
Call of Duty World League and the Overwatch League. Most recently
he worked at Activision Blizzard Esports with a focus on creative
content building and talent management/negotiations across several
professional sports leagues.
David Gardner, Non-Executive Director
David Gardner is Managing Director of David Beckham Ventures
Ltd, and oversees David Beckham's commercial businesses,
partnerships and global brand management. He is a director of a
number of businesses in David Beckham's portfolio including the
Seven Global joint venture with Global Brands Group and Studio 99,
the content studio and production company. Aside from brand and
business management, he partners with David Beckham to support the
growth of Inter Miami CF, the newest MLS franchise, in which
Beckham is a co-owner. Gardner was a professional footballer in his
early career and met Beckham when both were youth team players at
Manchester United. He went on to launch several entrepreneurial
operations which managed commercial rights for players, rights
holders and brands. He has been a participant in a number of
investments that have launched luxury and lifestyle brands both in
the UK and globally. He has also served as executive producer on a
number of highly successful documentaries including Class of
92.
Simon Walters, Non-Executive Director
Simon qualified as a chartered accountant in 1986 and joined the
corporate finance department of Stoy Hayward (now BDO). In 1990, he
left to join Fuller Peiser, a national property consultancy, as
Finance Partner, where he stayed for two years before becoming
finance director of the privately-held Molyneux property group,
whose interests included 52 per cent of listed Molyneux Estates
plc. In 1997, Simon became Finance Director at Shani, a
fully-listed UK clothing manufacturer with operations in the UK and
Eastern Europe. In 1999, Simon became finance director of Wood Hall
Securities, a private equity group with funds invested in a range
of private high-growth businesses and a significant property
portfolio. Simon has also been a non-executive director of
AIM-quoted Bilston & Battersea Enamels plc; finance director of
the Fish! chain of restaurants; a director of NetFM, an internet
radio station where he headed a consortium of backers; finance
director of AIM-quoted AFC Energy plc and Neville Porter plc; and
finance director of main market-listed OTAQ plc. Since 2003, Simon
has provided finance director services to a portfolio of listed and
unlisted companies in various sectors, currently through Headline
FD Limited, of which he is a director.
Christopher Sullivan, Non-Executive Director
Chris retired from his role as Chief Executive of the Corporate
& Investment Bank at Santander UK at the end of 2018, having
successfully built and grown the business over 3 years to comply
with the UK Banking Reform standards. Prior to joining Santander,
Chris had spent 40 years with the Royal Bank of Scotland and
NatWest in various CEO roles with 11 years on the Group ExCo which
included heading up Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Direct Line
/ Insurance businesses and Retail Direct Division culminating in
appointment to his final role with the Group as the Deputy Group
Chief Executive in March 2014. From 2009 for 5 years in his role as
the CEO of RBS Corporate Banking Division, Chris rebuilt the bank
to create the largest Corporate Bank, Commercial Bank, Invoice
Finance business, Asset Finance business (Lombard) and Transaction
Services / Payment business in the UK. As part of this role Chris
also had responsibility for Ulster Bank. During his time in this
role he championed the return to professional qualified bankers and
introduced new propositions for Entrepreneurs and Women in
Business. Chris is currently a director of Cannaray Ltd, one of
Europe's leading CBD businesses and the deputy chairman of law firm
DWF Group plc. Throughout his career, Chis has focussed on building
new propositions and businesses, e.g. WorldPay, Direct Line Group,
RBS Aviation Capital and Lombard - businesses sold and valued in
excess of GBP20bn.
Ends
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 09, 2020 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)