Photo Credit: (Michael Ashford)
So you just won the award for team of the year, is there anyone you would like to thank?
So we are super delighted that Astralis won the award and for the work they have been doing. I want to thank all of our sponsors, coaches, and everyone who works on a day to day basis with the team but mostly the team because they train and work super hard and deserve it more than anyone else.
Astralis have been arguably one of the best teams of all time in Counter-Strike, what do you think it is about the team as players that gives them the edge over opponents?
I think its generally their work ethic I think we built a whole performance model around them to work harder, better, and more smartly and that is paying off. When you get a group of five guys coming together like that with a wonderful coach like Dani it’s a massive difference and we are really reaping the rewards right now.
I know that Astralis have been quite stable roster-wise. Do you feel that stability is quite important and do they have a support system to go to rather than trying too many things?
In any sport consistency and giving them something to feel safe and strong is a big difference. Clearly they have had the same roster for a while which makes a big important impact for them. The team around them is very constant.
As an organization, when you have a team that is performing well and winning a lot what do you look for in the future?
Don’t get me wrong even when they win they take a step back to see what is working and not working because there is always room for improvement and this group is absolutely fixed on striving for the best and succeeding. This group is constantly looking at ways of improving and looking at new methods/training methods and I think that is really important for what they do.
I know they say Astralis sells as many jerseys as big football clubs in Denmark, but how important is that for establishing brand awareness so if you see an Astralis jersey you say, “ah that’s Astralis.”
You know last weekend they played at home in Copenhagen in the BLAST Pro Series and there were lines out of the shop to buy the new jersey and the partnership with Jack and Jones is incredible. I think it makes a big difference and they are a household name because everyone in Denmark knows who they are. I think they are building a brand and the future is very interesting.
Do you think they will be at the forefront of building that brand? Obviously, the Danish PM gave that great speech and there is a lot of talent in Denmark outside of Denmark, but will Astralis be at the tip of the spear?
That was a wonderful speech by the Danish Prime minister and it was wonderful to see that played out here this evening. I think that Astralis as a brand is at the forefront and center, the personalities and players on the team are household names and have a lot of longevity. What is incredible about esports in Scandinavia is that is becoming more mainstream and we will see more talent come through and there is an enormous amount of talent.
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