Mullingar gamers to battle it out in ‘FIFA' tournament

A Mullingar man who is one of the brains behind an up and coming Irish video gaming community is organising a FIFA 19-based tournament in the town on Sunday March 31 (12.30pm).

Ronan Fox, chief content officer and co-founder of the Facebook and Twitch-based community The Republic of Players, is inviting local experts in the popular soccer game to sign up for this community event, which takes place in Columbia Bar, Mount Street, Mullingar.

The tournament is one of five which will see 32 gamers go head-to-head in what is the first E-Sport gaming competition to run in Mullingar. It is sponsored by Shane Dunne of Player1 Gaming, which trades out of Harbour Place Shopping Centre, Mullingar.

Entry is €15 per player (with a €5 voucher given for each entry, sponsored by Player1 Gaming). €5 of the fee goes towards administration.

“It’s going to be an enjoyable day, so we hope that gamers will come along and compete,” Ronan told the Westmeath Examiner. “Columbia Bar will be supplying free coffee and pizzas on the day, and we will be streaming the event live over our Twitch channel, www.twitch.tv/therepofplayers.”

Ronan, who is from Hillside Drive, is a well-known online gamer who goes by the handle TheAlphaFox. He is passionate about his pastime, and his gaming pedigree goes all the way back to the era of SEGA vs Nintendo, and Sonic The Hedgehod vs Mario. As part of The Republic of Players initiative, he streams games online, reviews new releases, and runs a weekly podcast.

He also uses his online platform to promote mental health awareness, and while gaming, often takes the time to talk to his viewers and followers about “hidden disabilities”, such as tinnitis.

“My streams are family friendly, and a bit of craic,” Ronan added, explaining that The Republic of Players now boasts in excess of 1,500 followers. “Our moderators ensure that the environment of our community is not toxic.

“We’re growing all the time. We have a great team of writers, video editors, reviewers and content creators, and it’s all voluntary at the moment. Our aim is to continue growing.

“As an organised gaming community, we’re very much at the forefront as far as Ireland is concerned. We are the biggest and best in Ireland right now.”

And a number of those signing up to The Republic of Players are from the greater Mullingar area, Ronan notes, where there is a huge amount of interest in gaming.

“Mullingar has a huge FIFA-playing community, for instance,” he says. “And we’re hoping they’ll sign up for our qualifier over the coming weeks.”

A maximum of 32 places are available for the tournament in Columbia, with registration at paypal.me/therepublicofplayers. Entry fees can be paid at the door, but to guarantee your place, early payment is advised. Please leave a note on the payment of your own details including your name followed by “FIFA tournament” if you are paying through PayPal.

The rules for the FIFA tournament are as follows: you can pick any club to play with (both players can pick the same team); no all-star or fantasy teams are allowed; all formations are allowed; tactical defending mode only. You can bring your own controller (PS4).

Other rules relating to etiquette will be made clear on the day.

So if you think you’re slick enough at negotiating the gaming institution that is FIFA, sign up now at paypal.me/therepublicofplayers.