Read the full case study: Ellevens Esports and Gareth Bale
Tom co-led the deal that put Duracell on the shirt of Gareth Bale's Ellevens Esports team inside FIFA 21 Ultimate Team, the first in-game shirt sponsorship in FIFA history.
Client: Ellevens Esports, Gareth Bale, 38 Entertainment Group, Duracell
Tom's role: Head of Creative, 38 Entertainment Group (owner of Ellevens Esports and Combat Gaming), Feb 2020 to Jun 2021. Co-led the Duracell deal with the executive team.
Years: 2020 to 2021
Platforms: FIFA 21 Ultimate Team, YouTube, Twitch
Key numbers
- First: in-game shirt sponsorship in FIFA history, Duracell x Ellevens
- 3 December 2020: the day Duracell was announced as Ellevens' shirt sponsor
- 2020 to 2021: the season the Duracell kit ran in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team
- Feb 2020 to Jun 2021: Tom as Head of Creative at 38 Entertainment Group
Ellevens Esports was the esports team Gareth Bale co-owned with 38 Entertainment Group. Tom was Head of Creative at 38 Entertainment Group from February 2020 to June 2021. On 3 December 2020 Duracell was announced as Ellevens' shirt sponsor inside FIFA 21. The Duracell kit appeared in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team. It was the first in-game shirt sponsorship in FIFA history. Tom co-led the deal with the executive team, from origination to signature.
The starting point
Bale launched Ellevens Esports with 38 Entertainment Group on 3 February 2020. 38 Entertainment Group was co-founded by Jonathan Kark and the former footballer Larry Cohen. The team started in FIFA, with a side entered in the FIFA eClub World Cup that February. Tom joined as Head of Creative the same month. His brief covered both of the group's brands, Ellevens Esports and Combat Gaming. In April 2020 the group ran Combat Corona, a FIFA charity tournament streamed on Twitch. Bale played in it against Paulo Dybala. The BBC reported it raised over £18,000 for charities including UNICEF. By the end of its first season Ellevens had finished second at the FIFA eClub World Cup. Its Rocket League side won seven championships in the same year.
What Tom did
Tom ran creative across Ellevens and Combat Gaming: content strategy, sponsorship, talent and live events. He co-led the Duracell deal end to end with the executive team. That ran from origination through to signature. The public credit went to others, which is normal for a deal like this. Press quotes went to Jonathan Kark of 38 Entertainment Group and Luke Anderson of Duracell. Tom's own record is where his part of the work is documented. The six Ellevens videos in Tom's work are filed under Format and strategy, Commercial and sponsorship, and Talent supplied.
How it worked: formats, team, partners, decisions
The idea. Shirt sponsorship is a familiar format. The deal moved it into a space where nobody had put it: a kit that only existed inside FIFA. The sponsorship was rendered in the game itself, on the team's kit in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team.
The package. Duracell signed as Ellevens' official sponsor for the 2020 to 2021 season. Alongside the kit, Duracell ran a 10 second spot aimed at gamers. The deal sat inside Duracell's Power On campaign. The same campaign put Duracell perimeter boards into Football Manager 2021. Duracell batteries were also bundled with new Xbox consoles, including the Series X. Digiday reported the deal could be extended if it performed.
The talent. Bale announced the deal on his own social channels. His Instagram has 51,011,965 followers today.
The people. Jonathan Kark and Larry Cohen led 38 Entertainment Group. Luke Anderson, Marketing Manager at Duracell UK and Ireland, spoke for the brand.
The results
Duracell became the first shirt sponsor of Ellevens inside FIFA 21. Esports Insider reported it was the first time Duracell had promoted its brand in game this way. Esports Insider, the European Sponsorship Association and Digiday all covered it. The six Ellevens videos in Tom's work hold 16,362 views between them. Ellevens is inactive today. 38 Entertainment Group carried a proposal to strike off at Companies House as of 2026. The deal and its coverage stand on the record regardless.
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