Melbourne City also made waves earlier this year when they signed 20-year-old FIFA player Marcus Gomes as their first ever eSports player.

However, perhaps the one competition that is starting to make waves in the eFootballing hemisphere is a competition that began from humble beginnings in suburban Brisbane.

The Brisbane Pro FIFA League (BPFL) is the brainchild of Brodie Fisher, who started the league as a way of giving back to his local community of Ferny Hills.

“I originally started the BPFL from my own home - running LAN comps - and thats when I set up our parent company XP Esports,” Fisher said.

“After a year of running competitions in this way, I decided to hit up a few of our now regular venues, such as The Sporting Globe in Chermside.

“The premise being, that we’d have a quality location and guaranteed attendance and in return we’d boost their bar sales.”

The mantra was simple - a professional league with an easy entry point - and over the last seven months, that’s exactly what’s help this league grow to become one of the biggest in Australia.

“The aim is we want to promote eSports, especially FIFA… before us there was nothing here, and we’re looking to make the most of it,” he said.

The BPFL isn’t short of ambition, with the league aiming to look outside the metro area for future venues and competitions.

“Our aim is to get everything locally spot on so that way when we do spread our wings, we won’t fail,” Fisher added.

“Next year we aim to spread down to the Gold Coast, so we want to bring them something that works, and a circuit that works.

“We’ve got sponsors lining up with EGN Gaming, who were formally AUSFIFA, wanting to sponsor our Queensland Cup.”

It’s not just big sponsors that Fisher wants to get on board, but rather with the cash windfall, the league has its sights set on becoming even more professional.

“Our goals are a Queensland League, with players travelling around for a much higher prize, then eventually as a end-goal, a fully fledged Australian league,” he said.

The Brisbane Pro FIFA League is also gaining a positive image in another aspect - inclusivity - with divisions planned for less-skilled players and a community that already fosters warmth for newly entering members.

“If you want to be part of a group where despite the prizes on offer winning isn’t everything, and be part of a family, then our league is for you,” Fisher said.

“You’ll make friends, you’ll make a bit of cash, you’ll get ranked and you’ll also get recognised.”                         

The next BPFL event is the Queensland Champions FIFA Cup on November 4 at Duckyy’s Gaming Lounge, East Brisbane.

Interested players can sign up for the competition at www.xpgamingevents.com.