A History Of Nordavind

With the arrival of Nordavind AS, the lineup for Gfinity Elite Series Season 3 changes once more. The expansion to 10 teams has undoubtedly increased the levels of competition, with our newcomers bringing great pedigree and personality to the table. With all that in mind, let's bring you up to speed with Nordavind, the team with a fresh identity looking to build on past successes.If the name Nordavind doesn't immediately seem familiar, don't worry - what you're looking at here was, until very recently, known as BX3 Esports Club. Founded in 2011 as a volunteer organisation and launched by Stein Wilmann and Steffen Willumsen, they were a 'story of rags to riches' – their words, not ours.BX3 Elektroniske Sportsklubb made a name for themselves competing in games such as Counter-Strike, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Street Fighter – the latter two being particularly pertinent for their entry into Elite Series. Their Overwatch and CS:GO outfits have been growing in stature, the former winning the Dreamhack Summer 2017 BYOC tournament in June 2017 and the latter doing battle with the likes of former Elite Series CS:GO champions Epsilon.So where does the name Nordavind come into play? Meaning 'north wind' in Norwegian, the Nordavind title came into place when a deal was struck between BX3 and Valerenga Fotball AS, one of Norway's biggest football clubs and contender in the top Norwegian series, Eliteserien. Valerenga's owners, Magni Sports, have initially secured an 80% stake in Nordavind, and in return the Nordavind operation will gain access to Valerengen’s Intility Arena venue with full use of the training and business facilities. With the Valerengens club being home to multiple championship-winning sports teams, including five league and four Norwegian Football Cup titles for Valerenga AS, this is well and truly the elite of Norwegian sports organisations.With the name change from BX3 to Nordavind also comes a statement of intent. What started from fairly humble beginnings with a focus on home-grown Norwegian talent now has the financial and competitive muscle to truly go global. Make no mistake, Nordavind are fitting to make a play to become one of the premier teams of global esports.With the Valerenga partnership, a FIFA team was always on the cards – and alongside the already-established SFV and Rocket League sides, the Elite Series became the perfect fit. Entry into Season 3 is a great opportunity for them to compete against some of the world's best and make a statement. It will be fascinating to see what roster moves they make for SFV and Rocket League - a couple of strong additions with Elite Series experience could put Nordavind as playoff contenders in their first season.For now, prepare yourselves; a north wind is blowing through the Elite Series. If you think you've got what it takes to join them, sign up to the Challenger Series today and prove yourself online!