Setting a historical record in the
Elite Series: League of Legends (ESLOL) this week, Esports Coordinator
Alexander "ADUMON" Dumon and his team,
KRC Genk Esports, are set to claim the undisputed position of the most dominant team the Benelux region has ever seen before. Nonetheless, despite an 11-0 score, the road to reaching this position of absolute supremacy over the league has been far from uneventful.
Having
initially pulled out of the league following the 2023 summer split, the
grand return of GENK served as a ray of hope shining through the somber situation behind Team 7AM's
disbandment. Per sources, while other parties may have been in the race to acquire the dominant roster, it is now known that the team
would have most likely been forced to disband or replace a large portion of its line-up if it hadn't been for GENK's financial support.
ADUMON celebrating with his players after winning the Red Bull Campus Clutch.
| What are the immediate and long-term plans for GENK in LoL? Does this move indicate a desire to keep on investing in the ESLOL, or will the organization depart once more after the Spring Split?
ADUMON: "First and foremost, our plan is to show our support to the Benelux scene. In my opinion, this roster has the potential to make history, and we wanted to support these players in this endeavor."
"We would absolutely love to keep on competing in the ESLOL, which is today one of the last-standing official competitions in all esports disciplines for the Benelux region, but it all depends on our partners and budget."
"For now, supporting the boys for the Spring Split fits in our budget, and we saw this as an opportunity we couldn't refuse, despite this move not being intended in our initial plans."
| If budgets and sponsors do not allow you to continue your operations in summer, can we still hold out hope for a future return of GENK next year?
ADUMON: "It's hard to say in advance what will happen, things can change, as did this split! We've seen a lot of high-spending organizations die out over the last months and, now that 7AM is gone, we are one of the only high-budget organizations left in the region. I don't know about every team's budgets but, I think it is well-known that we have been one of the teams spending the most money on its rosters in past splits."
"We'll always follow the scene and look at how new organizations will continue to evolve in the long term. We've seen a lot of teams shine for a split and then disappear... we want to see how these new organizations will elevate the scene in the long run."
"I have to say that Spring Split not including an offline final made this decision much easier for us. Last year, we had to spend around €4,000 just for travel and accommodations. Keep in mind that KRC Genk Esports previously invested an average of €850 per player monthly in past splits, which represents way more money than what most teams in the region can provide."
"Sadly, the harsh reality is that we aren't able to keep on spending this amount of money without international results at the EMEA Masters."
| What kind of support will you be providing the team this split?
ADUMON: "We're doing everything to give the players what they deserve. We've had extended talks with all of them and managed to come to an agreement regarding the support that GENK would provide them. Of course, we do provide them with a monthly salary, even if it is lower than what we previously offered."
"One thing we decided on when negotiating this re-entry with them is that we will not take a cut of any earned prize pools this split. Since the players have already suffered dearly from this ordeal, we wish to let them fully showcase their skills and keep any earnings they win while competing for us."
"In addition to this, we also agreed to help organize a boot camp ahead of the EMEA Masters. We will help fly out the entire roster to the Red Bull Gaming Hub, which is located in Belgium at our partner, the Hogeschool PXL Hasselt." "We still think that this roster deserved way more but, since everything has been decided at the last minute, this is the best we could do. We are extremely happy and proud to be able to help this roster stay together and showcase their potential at the upcoming EMEA Masters."
| How exactly did your acquisition of the ex-7AM roster happen? When did you enter contact with them?
ADUMON: "Before everything went down this split, I helped 7AM as a freelance photographer, notably for their initial announcement and the other content pieces they had prepared for the rest of the split. I've worked with them several times before without encountering any issues either. Unfortunately, just like their former roster, I have not been paid for my work this split." "From what I know, after everything fell apart in January, the team was in conversation with another partner which was interested in picking them up. Unfortunately, the deal did not pan out and, it was at that moment when Nicklas, the team's manager, called me to inform me of what had happened. After hearing what the team asked for and needed to stay together, I instantly called the club's higher-ups to try and make a last-minute plan happen... the rest is history!"
"I had already spent three days with the boys during 7AM's media day and boot camp so I knew them well in advance. Overall, I'd say that the transition went really smoothly despite us having to arrange the entire move over two days during a weekend. It was quite difficult to work out contracts, jerseys, branding, and everything else over such a short period."
| If you can give us numbers, what is the total budget for this split looking like?
ADUMON: "Right now, we are looking at a €6,000-10,000 budget for the rest of the split, which includes our potential boot camp for the EMEA Masters. I still think that the talents behind this line-up deserved way more, but sadly, this is all we could provide following this last-minute deal. This also influenced our decision to give players 100% of their earnings. I think it's safe to say that this makes us one of the highest-spending teams of the ESLOL again!"
| Have you been working with the team closely? What are your overall expectations and hopes for this roster?
ADUMON: "Our staff is really amazing. From our manager Nicklas to our coaches ATN and GreenThor, I'm really happy with our staff! The team practices every single day and, if you ask me, they are far from an average Benelux team. Most of them came from other more prestigious leagues so, their work ethic and dedication are just on another level compared to what I've seen in the past." "I've been trying to call in and watch all of their scrims so far since I'm the point of contact when they need anything from GENK. Aside from that, I let them do their thing and completely trust them. So far, things have been great both on and off the rift and, I can't express how much respect I have for them!"
"I mostly handle general management, our visuals, and our social media presence at the moment. I'm also still managing our esports branch as a whole but yeah, I fully trust our team's staff."
"In my opinion, this team represents a free ticket to the EMEA Masters, and I know that the players know it too. This is why they really wanted to stick together and work so hard to achieve this goal. We are going to go 14-0 and make Benelux history, just like GENK did in the past."
ADUMON, as a photograph at another event.
