Manchester City Football Club announced its new partnership with esports organization FaZe Clan on Thursday morning. Through this partnership, the organizations plan to bring together the worlds of football and esports across a number of exciting initiatives.

Manchester City and FaZe Clan entered the partnership to create new experiences for fans of both football and esports, to bring the two audiences together in exciting new ways. 

The announcement formalizes the partnership between Manchester City and FaZe Clan who have previously linked up to create bespoke YouTube content together, including during the Club’s tour of the United States in 2017. Popular FaZe Fortnite star Nate "NateHill" Hill is an avid City fan, often representing the club on stream via his wardrobe. 

“Esports is the world’s fastest growing spectator sport, " said Nuria Tarre; Chief Marketing Officer at  City Football Group. "This collaboration with FaZe Clan marks the start of an exciting new chapter in Manchester City’s esports journey. We recognise that fans want to celebrate their love for football across many aspects of their lives, including fashion, music and gaming, to create a culture that goes beyond what happens on the pitch."

This collaboration builds on Manchester City’s current esports offering, with a dedicated FIFA player representing the Club at tournaments across the world. City was also the first Premier League club to launch a FIFA Online team in China, which will soon be joined by gamers from South Korea as the team grows across Asia.

Beyond professional gaming, the Club also hosted the Man City Esports Cup last year which saw 10,000 City-supporting amateur gamers take part in the tournament from across the world.

FaZe and City will collaborate to create engaging content with talent and players, as well has hosting exclusive fans events in the US and around the world. FaZe and City will also bring their FIFA players together in a shared training facility and launch limited edition, co-branded retail products that fans can enjoy.