The new esports division kicks-off this month and will host a series of tournaments for FIFA 18 gamers via PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

As part of a partnership with European Gaming League (EGL), AVFC Gaming will encourage gamers to compete against each other to win Pro Points, in a bid to win exclusive prizes.

These points will be accumulated over a seven-week period, based on the number of matches won in each tournament.

The esports series is split up into initial qualifiers, a last-chance qualifier, a special wildcard tournament and the final – which sees the three winners from the original qualifiers and the ‘last-chance qualifier’ battle it out.

Exclusive prizes for the last one standing includes match tickets, signed photos, signed FIFA player cards and AVFC Gaming branded consoles.

The launch of AVFC Gaming highlights the clubs drive to create and deliver engaging and innovative campaigns to its fans.

By placing the fan at the heart of the activity, the club continues to show commitment to its ‘Part of the Pride’ campaign, an initiative which was brought in at the start of the 2017/18 season, which keeps fans needs and wants in sharp focus across the club.

Will Radford, head of digital media and content at Aston Villa Football Club, said: “We know that being a Villa fan goes way beyond match day, our fans live and breathe the club in all aspects of their lives.”

“The launch of AVFC Gaming is all about embracing the fans doing what they love. We want to be able to reward the Villa faithful in their social lives and our partnership with the European Gaming League allows to do this in a way no other club has.

“Esports are becoming increasingly popular, with competitive leagues all around the world developing a huge amount of talent. AVFC Gaming will be another example of this, as well as being a great way for fans and the club to interact away from Villa Park.”

“The launch of our own esports series is a testament to the club’s desire of becoming an innovative leader in the business of sport.

“This initial series will act as a springboard to launch further digital gaming experiences to entertain and engage all our fans over the coming months.”