HyperX has announced that it is now the official headset sponsor of the AFL’s Sydney Swans. The HyperX Sydney Swans Partnership will see the Sydney Swans wearing and using HyperX headsets throughout the 2018 AFL season.
The sponsorship sees HyperX become the first esports brand to partner with the AFL. Both HyperX and the Sydney Swans will work together to create events and stories throughout the year and work to promote both the HyperX and Sydney Swans brands.
HyperX Sydney Swans Partnership
In addition to the sponsorship of the Sydney Swans, HyperX announced a sponsorship of the SCG’s esports High-Performance Centre.
The esports High-Performance Centre was established in 2017 and is home to the LG Direwolves. The centre as described by HyperX is;
Equipped with sport science such as eye tracking technology and performance analysis, along with full HyperX peripherals including headsets, keyboards, and mice to improve local esports talents’ skills and help them become globally competitive.
Having sponsored the Dire Wolves, Sydney Swans and the esports centre, HyperX has successfully bonded traditional and esports and is the first gaming brand to do so.
Sydney Swans Head of Strategy and Commercial Grant Rose said of the partnership;
“We’re excited to partner with HyperX to integrate their products into our programs. This is one of the first major partnerships to sit across both traditional sport and esports, and it gives us the opportunity to work more closely with the Esports High-Performance Centre across commercial and training practices.
“There are certainly similarities in the work we both put in behind the scenes to deliver on our respective programs – and access to technology plays a large part in that.”
HyperX bringing traditional and esports together
Susan Yang, Marketing Director, APAC Region, HyperX was keen to stress how excited HyperX is to be working with the AFL and the Sydney Swans. “We’re excited to be the first gaming accessories company to partner with an AFL team.
“Traditional sports like AFL have a long history and solid support from enthusiastic fans, and as esports is catching up quickly, we do see the trend of both sports converging and growing together.”
The HyperX Sydney Swans partnership is an exciting development in the world of esports and the melding of it with traditional sports. A first for Australia is an exciting prospect for the continued growth and mainstream acceptance of esports outside of gaming circles.
