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Guild Esports have announced the appointment of Kit Brunswick as their safeguarding and wellbeing lead. Prior to joining Guild, Brunswick was the former assistant academy manager of Cambridge United FC.
The position will see him responsible for the holistic wellbeing and care of all the academy players, athletes, and other key figures in the British esports organization.
Some of Brunswick’s duties include implementing and building specialized training programs for the team, ensuring their wellbeing, and safeguarding the audit processes. Another key focus of the role is to help the franchise establish appropriate “Path to Pro” opportunities for the prospective players.
As a result, the former Cambridge assistant academy manager will ensure he has a secure relationship with the parents and guardians of the players to ensure safety and security. This will include day-to-day practice as well as competitive tournaments and events like Fortnite, Valorant, and Rocket League.
”This is a massively exciting time for esports as an industry, and to be working for an organization that wants to set the standard in this area is a huge privilege,” Brunswick said.
“We have a responsibility to drive a trauma-informed environment that empowers the voices of young people and athletes, both within Guild and across the esports industry.
“We accept our responsibility to create a safer esports ecosystem, and I truly believe this is a pivotal moment in the adoption of robust safeguarding and wellbeing practices across the wider esports industry.”
The area of safeguarding is not fully developed or valued in esports at the moment. By this time last year, Fnatic released what they referred to as esports’ first set of safeguarding policies.
Brunswick’s appointment came after Guild Esports announced a loss of about US$4.96 million in the first half of the year. They also underwent some leadership and staff changes that saw their number of employees reduced from 45 to 30, with 15 people let off.
The organization launched the Guild Academy in May 2021. The training program targets young gamers and was initially an online-only service until earlier this year. The David Beckham-backed franchise signed a decade-long lease for the physical Guild Academy and global HQ.
In a release, the esports organization named Brunswick the first safeguarding and wellbeing lead in esports. This claim, however, can be contested as a number of other esports organizations have similar positions and schemes to ensure the safety of their players and the rest of the team.
Before his time as assistant academy manager at Cambridge United FC, Brunswick worked at Arsenal FC and handled football operations for the Premier League club’s graduate scheme. He went to Loughborough University and graduated with a certificate in Sports Science & Sports Management before securing either post.
The CEO of Guild Esports, Kal Hourd, revealed how impressed he was with Brunswick’s work and impact on the team.
“The work that Kit is doing is revolutionizing the world of esports and pioneering the way that organizations can — and should— be working with their talent,” he said.
“Throughout the esports industry, there is a real need for organizations to show a duty of care to the people they work with, and I couldn’t be prouder of the impact that Kit is already having across our structure.”
