Going forward both entities will now operate as one registered not-for-profit organisation. The combined all-Ireland entity, respecting all communities, has the common goal to empower talent and provide pathways to compete on the international stage. The alignment will share resources, facilitate education and develop domestic tournament initiatives over time.

Ireland Esports is a member of the Global Esports Federation (GEF), the International Esports Federation (IeSF) and is committed to retain its existing close alignment with the British Esports Federation, Esports Scotland and Esports Wales.

Speaking at the announcement, Chair of Ireland Esports Steve Daly said, ‘The need to support pathways for esports athletes to compete on the international stage continues to evolve at pace. By adopting an all-Ireland approach, as has been seen in community and education initiatives as well as traditional sports and sporting federations, this strategic alignment is a significant step forward’.

‘Both entities have been successfully working together for the past 12 months and have achieved so much. Bringing them together in a more formal fashion will help accelerate opportunities for esports talent and implement professional structures successfully. Much of this hard work was seen earlier this summer as we travelled to the European Games Esports Championships to showcase the talent we discovered on the island of Ireland’ said Michael Smyth, Ireland Esports board member, who has acted as Team Manager for both Esports NI and Ireland Esports over the last 12 months.

Athletes from Northern Ireland will have the option of participating for Ireland Esports or for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for international events, as is the case within the Olympic movement.

The Ireland Esports logo takes inspiration from the existing NI Esports stag logo. The Irish stag has been a symbol, dating back centuries within Irish folklore, representing strength, power, courage, and maturity. The stag is combined with a modern interpretation of Ireland’s symbolic Shamrock motif. The mission statement for the new entity is ‘To manage and enhance the performance of Team Ireland at international competitive tournaments whilst developing domestic competitive and educational pathways”