Ipswich Town launches Esports team with Mark11 and Stingray representing the Blues in 2025 ePremier League season

Ipswich Town has launched an Esports team for the first time in its history with two EA Sports FC players excited to represent the club.

Mark Zakhary, known as Mark11, and Dan Ray, known as Stingray, both are very experienced at playing FIFA and EA Sports FC professionally and will feature for the Blues in its inaugural season.

Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games, with Mark11 and Stingray ready to compete for Town in the ePremier League season which gets underway at the start of 2025.

The pair will face other competitors in the group stages and knockout rounds in an attempt to become EAFC 25 champions at the end of March next year.

Mark11, a two-time World Championship runner-up, said: “This will be my first time playing in the ePremier League having grown up in Australia. It should be a really exciting season as it’s probably the most difficult league in the world.

“It will be tough but I know I’m one of the best players in the world having finished second in the World Championship twice.

“We have to first get out of the group stages before trying to navigate our way through the knockouts to hopefully become champions.”

Stingray, ranked number two in the UK at EA Sports FC, added: “I am really excited to be involved in the ePremier League again. I have played in it for a few seasons now and it gets better every year.

“My aim this season is to win the whole thing but it is going to be tough.

“Hopefully you will see a lot of goals from me and my teammate Mark throughout the tournament."

CEO Mark Ashton said: “We are delighted to be launching our very first Esports team and would like to welcome Mark11 and Stingray to the Ipswich Town family.

“We recognise the world of Esports as a rapidly growing industry and are really looking forward to being involved in what we hope is a very successful first ePremier League season for the club.”