Rotherham United

The inaugural Emirates FA Cup gaming tournament took place this weekend at Wembley Stadium connected by EE.

Following almost 9,000 competition entries, 64 lucky gamers were randomly selected to represent their club and compete for glory which included Rob Lomas, who was hand-picked to represent the Millers at the national stadium.

The early rounds of the tournament were played in iconic locations around the stadium such as the changing rooms and the players’ tunnel, with the two finalists virtually battling it out on Wembley Stadium’s 82 foot screens as they sat in the centre circle.

Rob was faced with an all-Yorkshire opening round tie against Leeds United and progressed to the Third Round of the competition before his Wembley journey came to an end.

The Sheffield-based Millers’ fan donned the famous red and white shirt for his Every Gamers Adventure experience and was joined by players representing a host of other clubs in the capital on Saturday.

Compered by sports presenter, Colin Murray, the gaming event witnessed unpredictability, fierce competition and gaming prowess, an atmosphere of pure determination likened to that of the on-pitch drama waiting to unfold at Wembley Stadium between Crystal Palace and Manchester United on Saturday 21 May. 

Popular ex-player, pundit and gaming fan Jermaine Jenas, and a number of professional gamers and YouTube stars (AJ3, Behzinga, CapgunTom, Theo Baker, Toobiias, Miniminter and Reev) welcomed the gaming participants, sharing tips and tricks on the day as they commenced the ultimate gaming adventure.

The overall winner, Harris Riaz 16, not only secured the prestige of being crowned the inaugural champion, but he also lifted The Emirates FA Cup and awarded a personalised ‘Every Gamer’s Adventure’ PlayStation 4 console. Harris will be attending the Emirates FA Cup Final on 21 May as a special guest of The FA.

Sports presenter and host of the Every Gamer’s Adventure inaugural gaming tournament, Colin Murray, commented: “Today was an historic moment for The Emirates FA Cup – 64 gamers going on an adventure like never seen before.

The passion showed by the players today, mirrored that of those who play on the pitch. A memorable adventure well worth taking.”

The one day event replicated the fixtures from this year’s third round with 64 gamers and 32 matches kicking-off the proceedings. The gamers played FIFA 16 on PlayStation 4 consoles.

For more information on this season’s Emirates FA Cup adventure, please visit TheFA.com/TheEmiratesFACup.

The overall winner was Harris Riaz 16, who represented Chelsea. He faced a final against Soufiane Kazane 17, playing for Southampton FC.