Alfie Calder battled it out against five of the nation’s best grassroots FIFA 22 players, followed by exhibition matches against England players, and EXCEL ESPORTS professional FIFA player, Gorilla, at the live final at Wembley Stadium connected by EE

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England Football, together with EE, today announced Alfie Calder as the winner of the Connected Club Cup, the inaugural esports FIFA 22 competition. Alfie from Nottingham won the title after competing in the final against five of the nation’s best grassroots FIFA 22 players at Wembley Stadium connected by EE.

Each of the finalists also played against England footballers, Beth England, Jess Carter, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, Jarrod Bowen, Abdou Jobe, Jamie Clarke, Harry Boorman and Will Palmer and EXCEL ESPORTS professional FIFA player Spencer ‘Gorilla’ Ealing, in exhibition matches.

Hosted at Wembley Stadium, the final of the Connected Club Cup saw grassroots gamers and fans follow the action live on England Football’s Twitch channel (Twitch.tv/England) as it was live streamed over EE Full Fibre. Fans watched as Brad Colston from Burnley, Alfie Calder from Nottinghamshire, Luke Downing from Norwich, Harvey Waters from Salisbury, Lolingo Weye from London and Ben Evans from Aylesbury went head-to-head.

The finalists competed in a two-leg round-robin tournament (each player played against every other player in turn) with matches played on both Xbox and PlayStation, all streamed over EE Full Fibre demonstrating the extreme bandwidth EE’s broadband can handle. Finalists also tested their tricks, flicks and spins in exhibition matches against England footballers, Beth England, Jess Carter, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, Jarrod Bowen, Abdou Jobe, Jamie Clarke, Harry Boorman and Will Palmer and EXCEL ESPORTS professional FIFA player, ‘Gorilla’.

Connected Club Cup winner, Alfie Calder from Nottingham stated: “To come back from two nil down in the last match to win the EE Connected Club Cup Final was incredible. It has been such a fun day being able to meet and play with the England players from the Men’s, Women’s and Deaf Team was such a great experience. Winning the inaugural Connected Club Cup was the icing on the cake!”

All Semi Finalists won – A signed England Men’s shirt from EUROS 2020 plus x2 tickets to watch England vs Germany at Wembley in September.

The Finalists won (on top of what they have already won above) – A subscription to EE Full Fibre (if available in their area).

The Winner (on top of what they have already won above) – A trophy, Signed Xbox X series and x1 signed controller (Signed by England football talent, e.g., x3 men, x3 Women, x4 Deaf Women’s team) plus x2 tickets to a Wembley concert.

Navin Singh, Commercial Director at the FA, said: “The Connected Club Cup has brought together football communities and esports, and promoted improved digital connectivity at grassroots clubs across the country.

Throughout the competition it has been great to see the gamers show off their skills, all culminating in an amazing final at the home of English football, Wembley Stadium. I am looking forward to following Alfie and all the other finalists’ journeys in esports, and hope that this competition has encouraged many more football fans and gamers up and down the country to get involved with the sport”.

As lead partner of the Home Nations Football Associations, EE is focused on improving the lives of millions of players, coaches, and fans across the UK. With grassroots clubs, the focus is to create closer football communities and opportunities through new digital and football skills initiatives​. Connected Clubs is just one of those initiatives, and the ambition is to connect over 200 grassroots community football clubs across the Home Nations ​with a package of EE products and services, including wi-fi, broadband and landline.​

Pete Jeavons, Director of Marketing Communications at EE, adds: “We are thrilled to crown Alfie Calder, from Nottingham, as the winner of the Connected Club Cup. The Connected Club Cup has brought together the unbeatable performance and reliability of EE’s Full Fibre broadband and the passion and skill seen at grassroots level gaming.

Through the Home Nations Football Associations, we have connected 70 grassroots clubs across the four Home Nations to date. Through EE’s products and services, we are helping to transform these grassroots clubs into community hubs. Our goal is to not only support the football teams, but also to host a variety of events and activities that bring the wider community together across the UK.”

Powered by EE Full Fibre, the Connected Club Cup showcases the strength of the ultrafast gigabit connection powered by EE. EE Full Fibre allows you to watch a 4K show online, while playing games

online, while in a discord call with friends or livestreaming on Twitch to your audience or community – all using less than half of what the connection could handle.