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London Spitfire is a professional ''Overwatch'' team representing the city of
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. The Spitfire compete in the
Overwatch League The Overwatch League (OWL) is a professional esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'', produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. The Overwatch League follows the model of other traditional North American professional sporting le ...
(OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, London Spitfire is one of the league's twelve founding members and is one of two professional ''Overwatch'' teams representing a European city. The team is owned by Jack Etienne and the esports organization
Cloud9 Cloud9 Esports, Inc., or simply Cloud9 (C9), is an American professional esports company based in Santa Monica, California. The company was originally founded as a professional ''League of Legends'' team by Jack and Paullie Etienne in May 2013 ...
, who also own British Hurricane, an academy team for the Spitfire that competed in
Overwatch Contenders Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2 ...
(OWC). Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon was appointed the team's first head coach and guided London to claim the league's first stage championship in 2018. While the team parted ways with Bishop later that season, the team went on win the inaugural season Grand Finals.


Franchise history


Team creation

Formed in March 2016, London Spitfire originally started out as the
Overwatch ''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: '' Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fe ...
branch of American esports organisation
Cloud9 Cloud9 Esports, Inc., or simply Cloud9 (C9), is an American professional esports company based in Santa Monica, California. The company was originally founded as a professional ''League of Legends'' team by Jack and Paullie Etienne in May 2013 ...
. Under variations of the Cloud9 moniker, such as Cloud9 KONGDOO, they would go on to field rosters from multiple continents during their pre-OWL tenure. On 10 August 2017, Activision Blizzard announced that Cloud9 had purchased the London Overwatch League franchise; the franchise would be the first and only
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an team heading into the inaugural season. Pete Vlastelica, an executive in
Activision Blizzard Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Viven ...
's esports division, reported that several unnamed European companies were interested in purchasing the London rights to hold an Overwatch League franchise. Vlastelica noted, "Cloud9 may be a new name for some in the traditional sports world, but I can assure you they are not a niche or fringe player in esports. As we build this league, it was really important to us to combine the capabilities of owners from both traditional sports and the world of esports." Jack Etienne, chief executive Cloud9, paid roughly $20 million (£15.4 million) for the franchise slot. Etienne said that he chose the London slot because it is a "fantastic city with an amazing metro population ndfantastic transportation to get people to events." On 1 November, the team revealed they would be called London Spitfire. Shortly afterwards on 4 November, they disclosed their 12-player inaugural season roster, the maximum permitted, which would be entirely composed of
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n players. The roster would mainly be an amalgamation of their current Cloud9 KONGDOO core and OGN's
Overwatch APEX ''Overwatch'' Apex, or simply Apex, was a competitive esports tournament series in South Korea for the video game ''Overwatch'' run by South Korean cable television channel OnGameNet (OGN) from 2016 to 2017. The tournament was contested mostly b ...
Season 4 champions GC Busan.


Inaugural season champions: 2018

On 11 January, the Spitfire played their first regular season Overwatch League match in a 3–1 victory over the
Florida Mayhem Florida Mayhem is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Miami and Orlando, Florida. The team competes in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West Division. Founded in 2017, Florida Mayhem is one of the ...
. They would end Stage 1 of the 2018 Season with a record, earning them the third and final spot in the Stage 1 Playoffs. The team then became the first-ever stage playoffs champions, after achieving victories over the
Houston Outlaws The Houston Outlaws are an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Houston, Texas. The Outlaws compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, Houston Outlaws is one of the leag ...
, 3–1, and the
New York Excelsior The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 20 ...
, 3–2. In March, midway through Stage 2, the Spitfire parted ways with head coach Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon for undisclosed reasons. The team finished Stage 2 with an improved record and attained another stage playoffs berth. However, they fell short to the
Philadelphia Fusion Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Philadelphia is one ...
in a thrilling 2–3 semifinals series. However, after Stage 2, the Spitfire failed to make another stage playoffs, going 5–5 in Stage 3 and 4–6 in Stage 4. The team ended the season with a record, good for 5th place and a spot in the postseason. London lost their first postseason matchup against the
Los Angeles Gladiators The Los Angeles Gladiators are an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Los Angeles, California. The Gladiators compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the Los Angeles ...
on 11 July by a score of 0–3, but the team turned it around the next two games against the Gladiators, winning in 3–0 sweeps in matches two and three and advancing the team to the semifinals. London won both games against the
Los Angeles Valiant Los Angeles Valiant (stylized as VΛLIΛNT) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California, although the team is operated in China. Valiant compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a me ...
in the semifinals, winning 3–0 in match one and 3–1 in match two. London claimed the first Overwatch League championship after defeating the
Philadelphia Fusion Philadelphia Fusion is an American-based professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Fusion compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Philadelphia is one ...
on 27 and 28 July by scores of 3–1 and 3–0, respectively.


Quest for a second title: 2019–present

The Spitfire filled their head coach vacancy in the 2019 offseason, signing Kim "Coach815" Kwangbok. London began their 2019 season winning only three of their matches in Stage 1. The stage ended with a 0–3 loss to the
Seoul Dynasty Seoul Dynasty is a South Korean professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Seoul, South Korea. The Dynasty compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Seoul Dynasty is one of the league ...
in week 5, causing the team to miss out on the Stage 1 Playoffs. London found success in Stage 2, as the team posted a 6–1 record and qualified for the Stage 2 Playoffs; however, they were knocked out in the quarterfinals by the
Hangzhou Spark Hangzhou Spark () is a Chinese professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The Spark compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2018, Hangzhou Spark began play as one of e ...
after losing 1–3. The Spitfire parted ways with head coach Kwang-bok "Coach815" Kim in the middle of Stage 3, leaving the team without a head coach. A 0–4 loss to the
Los Angeles Valiant Los Angeles Valiant (stylized as VΛLIΛNT) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California, although the team is operated in China. Valiant compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a me ...
in Stage 3 eliminated London from Stage 3 playoff contention as the team went on to post a 3–4 record for that stage. After a 4–3 win–loss record in Stage 4, London finished the regular season with a 16–12 record and qualified for the play-in tournament for a chance to make it to the 2019 season playoffs. London took down the
Shanghai Dragons The Shanghai Dragons () are a professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Shanghai, China. The Dragons compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's East region. Founded in 2017, Shanghai Dragons are one of the league's ...
4–3 in an OWL record eight-map series to qualify for the season playoffs. In the first round, London was defeated by the
New York Excelsior The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in New York City, New York. The Excelsior compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 20 ...
, 1–4, sending the team to the lower bracket. A 0–4 loss to the
San Francisco Shock The San Francisco Shock are an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in San Francisco, California. The Shock compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the San Francisco Shock ...
ended the Spitfire's 2019 playoff run. In the offseason preceding the 2020 season, the Spitfire overhauled their roster, releasing nearly all of their players from the 2019 season and signing mostly rookies. Additionally, the team promoted Hong "Agape" Cheol-yong as their head coach. While the team planned to play in the United Kingdom for live homestands, the team relocated its training facility to New Jersey to minimize travel time to other cities. However, after all live events were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the Spitfire relocated to Seoul, South Korea, to compete in league's Asia region. London did not perform well in the 2020 season, finishing in 17th place in the overall standings. During the 2020 offseason, the organization completely rebuilt its team, dropping its entire roster and coaching staff. Focusing on signing
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
players and staff, London signed former
Los Angeles Valiant Los Angeles Valiant (stylized as VΛLIΛNT) is an American professional ''Overwatch'' esports team representing the city of Los Angeles, California, although the team is operated in China. Valiant compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a me ...
coach Justin "Reprize" Hand as their new head coach. They signed a team consisting players mostly from their
Overwatch Contenders Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2 ...
academy team British Hurricane — a team that had won every European Overwatch Contenders title in 2020. The team also left South Korea to play remotely from the United States and Sweden to compete in the league's Western region. After an 0–8 start to the season, head coach Justin "Reprize" Hand retired; assistant coach Mads "fischer" Jehg became the new head coach of the team thereafter. London remained winless until their final match of the season, when they defeated the
Vancouver Titans The Vancouver Titans are a professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Titans compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, the Vancouver Titans beg ...
, to finish the season with a 1–15 record.


Team identity

On 1 November 2017, the London Spitfire brand was officially unveiled. The name and shield-like logo were selected to pay homage to the British military plane
Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Gri ...
, whose use during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
by the Royal Air Force (RAF) reflected the spirit of bravery the team hoped to identify with. The team colours were also announced as blue and orange: blue inherited from parent organisation Cloud9, and orange in recognition of
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
Overwatch character Lena "Tracer" Oxton who was a former RAF pilot in the game's lore. The team has never played in the United Kingdom. In the first two seasons of the league, the Spitfire played matches at the Blizzard Arena in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...
along with all other Overwatch League teams. For 2020, the team planned to host two homestand events in the United Kingdom at
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500- ...
and the National Exhibition Centre, and the team relocated to
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
in order to reduce the distance between them and the large pool of North American teams. However, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, all live matches in the 2020 season were cancelled, and the league moved to exclusively online play. The Spitfire, along with the
Vancouver Titans The Vancouver Titans are a professional ''Overwatch'' esports team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Titans compete in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2018, the Vancouver Titans beg ...
, relocated to
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, South Korea that year to increase the number of teams competing in the leagues Asian region. In 2021, their players and staff are playing and coaching remotely, with personnel situated in the United States and Europe.


Sponsors

In March 2018, London signed a one-year sponsorship deal with Logitech G gaming products. The deal included equipment and gear supply, as well as the team hosting the Logitech G logo on their jerseys.


Personnel


Current roster


Head coaches


Awards and records


Seasons overview


Individual accomplishments

Grand Finals MVP * Profit (Park Jun-young) – 2018 All-Star Game selections * birdring (Kim Ji-hyeok) – 2018 *Bdosin (Choi Seung-tae) – 2018 *Fury (Kim Jun-ho) – 2018, 2019 *Gesture (Hong Jae-hui) – 2018, 2019 * Profit (Park Jun-young) – 2018, 2019 *Glister (Lim Gil-seong) – 2020


Academy team

On 15 February 2018, the Spitfire formally announced that their academy team for
Overwatch Contenders Overwatch Contenders (OWC) is an international esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'' that is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2 ...
Europe would be called the British Hurricane, and revealed their all-European Season One squad. The team went to the first Atlantic Showdown, where they defeated Lowkey Esports before losing to
Team Envy Team Envy was an American esports franchise based in Dallas, Texas, owned by Envy Gaming. Founded in 2007 as a professional ''Call of Duty'' team under the moniker Team EnVyUs, they fielded rosters in '' Counter-Strike, FIFA, Fortnite, Gears o ...
in the second round. They lost in the first round of the bottom half of the
double-elimination A double-elimination tournament is a type of elimination tournament competition in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost ''two'' games or matches. It stands in contrast to a single-elimin ...
bracket to
ATL Academy ATL Academy was an American esports team for the video game ''Overwatch'' competing in Overwatch Contenders (OWC) and an academy team for the Atlanta Reign of the Overwatch League (OWL). The franchise played its first two seasons as Last Night' ...
, 3–0.


References


External links

* {{Overwatch League Overwatch League teams Esports teams established in 2016