Introduction / Team Overview
North is a brand new team in the world of esports, having been formed in early 2017 in Denmark. The team represents something of a new direction for esports, with them having been formed as an affiliate of Danish football club FC Copenhagen, who launched the team in concert with Nordisk Film. Their roster consists of Danish players, who were formerly with the Dignitas team. Casper ‘ruggah’ Due is the coach of this new team, who have so far acquired $83,000 of prize money in their short existence.
The team is ambitious, with Jacob ‘Maelk’ Toft-Anderson, the team’s head of gaming, stating that they want to move into other eSport games apart from CSGO in the near future. The team is ambitious and is looking to recruit more talented players to complement its existing roster in the future.
Highlights / Strengths
The team is still finding its feet as it begins what is hopefully a long career in esports, and the success it has enjoyed has come mainly in Qualifier tier events, such as the ECS Season 3 – Europe Development League, which it won. Other highlights came at the ECS Season 3 – Europe Promotion, and the DreamHack Masters – Las Vegas 2017, where the team placed in third/fourth.
The real strength of this young team is its strong Danish identity, with a roster consisting entirely of Danish players. Its partnership with a major soccer team also shows the depth of its ambition, and determination to be not only a successful team in the CSGO standings, but also to help the general growth of esports across the world.
Branding / Sponsorship / Logo
North’s partnership with a mainstream sports organisation like FC Copenhagen has exerted a massive influence on the team’s branding and partnerships. The team logo of a lion mimics FC Copenhagen’s team badge, for example. The team has a partnership with sportswear giant Adidas, just like the soccer team, and the official North jersey shares some design features with a football shirt. Even the team’s tagline of ‘Hear the Roar’ echoes the sound of a football crowd. The team colours of dark blue and white are also the same as FC Copenhagen, with the house style of other merchandise also mirroring that of the football club. The team logo can be downloaded to be used as digital wallpaper from the team’s official website.
Team Roles / Expertise / Divisions
The team is exclusively Danish in terms of personnel, with Norwegian Ruben ‘Rubino’ Villarroel having recently departed from their ranks. The team captain is Mathias ‘MSL’ Lauridsen, who is a real leader with proven experience. Other players on the team include Kristian ‘k0nfig’ Wienecke, René ‘cajunb’ Borg and Philip ‘aizy’ Aistrup, who fulfil supporting roles in the team.
Roster & Achievements
North’s roster is still finding its feet in the world of competitive CSGO, but has begun to enjoy a modicum of success. Its main achievement so far is really securing a deal with a mainstream sports club, FC Copenhagen, and a major media company, in the form of Nordisk Film. Working in combination with such major players has helped the team to secure the kind of mainstream branding and partnerships, which indicate they are keen to crack the sports mainstream.
