New York City FC announced on Wednesday they have signed Christopher Holly as their first eSports player.
Holly will represent NYCFC in EA SPORTS FIFA tournaments. The Hempstead, New York resident was born in the US and grew up in Haiti. He has been playing FIFA for 12 years, getting his start on a PS2 and playing for roughly 25 hours a week.
Last month, he ranked third in the FUT Champions Leaderboard (for Americas PS4) with a win-loss record of 191-9. In December, he ranked first worldwide with the best performance across the globe, registering a record of 197-3.
“At New York City FC, we are always looking for new ways to innovate and get closer to our fans," said Diego Gigliani, SVP, media and innovation for City Football Marketing, in a statement. "We are delighted to welcome Christopher Holly to the club to represent NYCFC.
“Christopher will play EA SPORTS FIFA at gaming tournaments around the world and challenge NYCFC fans pre-match as well as our players. We’ll also be creating content and live-streaming on platforms like YouTube and Twitch."
Holly, in a statement, said it would be an honor to represent the team, even though he was surprised initially. “I never thought this would happen," he said, "so when the club contacted me, I was shocked and now I’m really looking forward to it."
Holly will travel to Vancouver for a tournament on Apr. 22, where he will aim to qualify for the FUT World Championship in Berlin.
