A MAN says he earns £50,000 a year by playing FIFA on his PlayStation – and he doesn’t even leave his bedroom.
Alex Shaw, 24, first became hooked on the hit EA Sports football game when he bought FIFA 12 for his PlayStation 2 at the age of 13.
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After playing the video game for hours on end and thrashing his friends after school, he began to challenge professional players online.
And when he started to beat the pros on the virtual pitch, Alex was invited to compete in an online football tournament in 2018.
The die-hard Liverpool fan became an official FIFA eSports player that season and has made a staggering £150,000 in the last five years playing online footy.
Alex has travelled around the world, facing the best players on the planet, across the US and Europe, representing Leicester City, Fulham and Watford.
Every day, Alex spends up to eight hours playing FIFA on his PlayStation 5 in his bedroom on his £5,000 monitor and controller set up.
He is one of around 40 people in the UK playing FIFA professionally for a living and reckons he is fulfilling every young boy’s fantasy.
Alex, of Quarndon, Derbyshire, said: “I think if my 13 or 14-year-old self could see what I do now and what I had achieved they would be amazed.
“It is definitely something I know I will look back on when I’m older and be proud of and young lads are definitely jealous of what I do for a living.
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“When I first bought FIFA and played with my friends, I wasn’t very good at all, but over the years and hours of practice I started to get better and began to beat professional players.
“I have played against some of the best players in the world and this is where you really learn how to get better at the game.
“I sadly didn’t get placed in my first tournament in the 2018/19 season but since then have entered lots of other competitions and done quite well and won some good prize money.
It is definitely something I know I will look back on when I’m older and be proud of and young lads are definitely jealous of what I do for a living.
Alex Shaw
“I have also been able to travel the world in my job which I love.
“I love my job but if you are playing for eight hours straight, you need to take a break.
“Even if it’s just five or 10 minutes away from the screen it helps. If you don’t, you start to become a robot and your gaming rhythms whilst playing aren’t as good.
“Despite playing for hours a day, I still have a good social life outside of the game and see my friends a lot.
“My career is also very sociable as I’m always talking to and playing people online.”
FULL-TIME JOB PLAYING FIFA
Alex, who now plays FIFA as his full-time job, has qualified for the ePremiere League four out of the five times it has been held.
He has travelled to Atlanta, Hamburg, Milan, Canada, and Bucharest to compete in tournaments which last up to three days and has raked in £15,000 in prize money.
In 2019, Alex placed eighth in the world at the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Champions Cup Three in Bucharest.
The following year placed fourth in the ePremiere League representing Leicester City.
For the first four years of his career Alex also represented Esports team Hashtag United and he is now playing for Horizon Union who he signed for last September.
Alex always selects FIFA Ultimate Team mode during tournaments as he says it allows him to add the best players to his team.
When he isn’t travelling, Alex takes part in online tournaments from his bedroom playing against other professionals one-on-one, which can last up to two days.
PARENTS SUPPORTIVE
He says his parents have been very supportive of his FIFA career from the start and he hopes to continue in his profession and eventually be an Esports host.
Alex, who lives with his mum Sarah, 57, added: “My parents have always been very supportive of my career even when I wasn’t earning anything.
“I think at the start they were in a bit of disbelief when they found out I was becoming a professional FIFA player.
“But, I think when I started to fly around the globe and get put up in fancy hotels for free with my flights paid for, they definitely got on board.
“My dream goal is to win a tournament, but this is a very big ambition as some of the players are amazing and undefeated.
“But I am proud of myself for where I have got to so far and with more practice who know how good I can be in the future.
“I want to continue my career for another five or ten years and then I would love to host at the tournaments.
“I am happy to be in front of a camera and enjoy watching the competitions as well as playing in them.”
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