Western Sydney Wanderers’ E-League competitors live the dream as FIFA players
The Western Sydney Wanderers’ E-League competitors are truly living every guy’s dream - playing FIFA professionally while spending every day at the SCG.
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Nestled behind a glass wall at the southern end of the Sydney Cricket ground, a different breed of professional athletes are put through their paces at the Sydney Esports High Performance Centre.
The beautiful Boundary Club room is the office of the Western Sydney Wanderers’ Esports competitors Joseph (N8 OhNoAGoat) Nassar and Joel (N8 JAz) Andruszkiewicz, who are part of the A-League’s FIFA E-League competition- a nine round, 10 club fixture that is broadcast weekly on Fox Sports and Twitch.
As they overlook the famed turf that has featured legendary Australian sportsmen such as Don Bradman and Dally Messenger, 22-year-old Nassar and 20-year-old Andruszkiewicz say they are still amazed at just how far their favourite hobby has taken them.
“When I was younger I didn’t realise I could get this far playing FIFA — it’s kind of crazy,” Merrylands resident Nassar said.
The Esports space is something that the Wanderers are eager to make their mark on, with chief executive John Tsatsimas calling the industry an increasing focus for the club.
“There has been an explosion in the growth of Esports in recent times and through an engaged format in EA Sports FIFA titles the synergy between football and Esports is clear,” he said.
According to Andruszkiewicz, the support the pair have received from Western Sydney has been just as vital to them as it is to the club’s A-League stars.
“I think it’s all about mentality and having a good mindset,” he said.
“Having the Wanderers behind us lets us do our own thing and not have to worry about anything else.
“It’s all about us just doing our job and focusing on our performance.”
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Although the Wanderers are struggling on the field, Nassar and Andruszkiewicz are confident of bringing the E-League Premiers trophy to Western Sydney in 2019.
“We had a bit of a slow start but we’re definitely getting the results now,” Andruszkiewicz said.
“We’ll be pushing for the title this year and definitely want to bring back a title for Western Sydney.”
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