Jobs at Electronics Arts is full of surprises. First, we released the FIFA World Cup ™ update for FIFA 20 , and then EA donated tickets for the 2020 FIFA World Cup ™ to an Australian employee. Chris was so inspired by watching his national team's games at the World Cup that he rented a futsal field and made new friends. Also, in this day, Riot Games announced a tournament in the game Valorant. It was very cool, as I would also like to see these games with my own eyes. By the way, many people ask me, where to find Valorant tracker. I check all stats at the - https://valoranttracker.org
During the 2020 FIFA World Cup, all football fans rushed to Russia to support their national teams at the most prestigious event in this sport. Among them was Chris Bowden - Communications Manager for the Middle East and Africa from EA Australia, who, along with his friends, traveled 10,000 kilometers from Australia to Russia.
“There is no better way to experience the atmosphere of the mundial than to be on it personally ,” says Chris.
After attending matches between Australia and France and Denmark, Chris asked EA assistant producer Alex Gavrish to rent a futsal field a few days before the Australia-Peru match at Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Fluent in Russian Alex rented the field of the Amateur Football League . When the site management found out that one of its fields was rented by a group of fans from Australia, it decided to make their visit as comfortable as possible.
The site management did not take a dime from Alex, explaining this by saying that they want Chris and other football fans to feel the spirit of the tournament and enjoy their stay in Sochi.
“In addition, the management of the site invited us to have a friendly match with local Russian fans. The proposal intrigued us, so we agreed. But that wasn’t all, ” says Chris.
When Chris and other fans agreed to arrange a friendly match, the leadership contacted all the teams of the Sochi Amateur Football League and invited them to represent their country. Thanks to his knowledge of English and fair play, he won FC Monarh SDFL throughout the season.
After that, we came up with the name of the team - “Fans from Australia” - and created our logo for use in an international friendly match. The organizers also broadcast the match so that relatives of Chris and his friends from Australia could watch the game. However, the surprises did not end there.
“Four cars came for us on the day of the match, and the guide told me that ten players of FC Monarch took a day off to take part in the game. And when we arrived at the site, the judges were waiting for us there, who also took a day off to judge our game. Not to mention the local police, which provided our security , ”Chris recalls.
After playing the national anthems, a truly fascinating game began. Both teams perfectly represented their countries and at the end of regular time the score was 7-7.
«FC Monarh SDFL» подарил трофей «Фанатам из Австралии».
During the post-match ceremony, all fans from Australia were awarded medals, a trophy and a huge bottle of Russian vodka, while Chris and his team invited FC Monarh SDFL to a local restaurant to celebrate this event.
The guys had a good time and ate dishes of the Black Sea cuisine like horse mackerel, and when Chris went to pay, it turned out that the Russian organizers had already taken care of everything.
“The generosity with which we were greeted is just one of many examples of Russian hospitality, and I hope someday I can repay them with the same coin. I made friends for life, and I was incredibly lucky to work in such a cool company. Electronic Arts has provided me tickets for the World Cup, and this alone is enough to be a great place to work, ”Chris admits.
The goal of EA is to inspire people from all over the world through the game. We create amazing opportunities for players from all over the world and always take into account the interests of our players. Check out open vacancies and join us!
