EA Sports' FC 24 is upon us, with a new era of football gaming beginning with the launch of the revamped game. Even if the name is different, the same features players love year-in-year-out will return for the first installment of the FC series.
Gamers will be looking forward to taking on the road to Division One with mates in Pro Clubs, bringing the likes of Hartlepool to Champions League glory in career mode, or packing the world's best in Ultimate Team - and that extends to the footballers on the pitch themselves.
It's no secret that football games have been eternally popular among the players - after all, Andrea Pirlo revealed that he spent the afternoon of July 9 2006 playing PlayStation in his hotel room before winning the World Cup that evening.
To mark the launch of EA Sports FC 24, we rocked up to the game's League of Ireland launch at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, where some of the league's best were on hand to reveal which of their teammates they're most looking forward to taking on on the new game.
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EA Sports FC 24: League of Ireland stars lift the lid on their teammates
Bohemians' James Clarke has been one of the league's most impressive performers in recent weeks, taking home the player of the month award for August as his side continue to fight for a top three finish.
They have hit a few stumbling blocks along the way but, with an FAI Cup semi-final to come next week in Galway, there is still every chance this could be a season to remember for Bohs.
27 September 2023; Join the Club as EA SPORTS FC welcomes the League of Ireland to FC 24! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/FC24 when the game launches worldwide this Friday, September 29th! James Clarke of Bohemians during the EA SPORTS FC 24 SSE Airtricity League Cover Launch at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Balls.ie spoke to Clarke at Wednesday's League of Ireland launch for FC 24 at the Aviva Stadium, and Clarke revealed that the team were planning a few in-house tournaments now that they had their hands on the game:
We've been planning to have a few games once the game is out. That's the plan. There's a few boys on the team that I'll be looking to beat, I'll be looking forward to that!
I think Dean Williams and James McManus have been chatting a lot, Jonathan Afolabi as well. I'll have to put them right.
Clarke will hope that him and his teammates are back on Lansdowne Road on November 12th for the FAI Cup final.
The theme of in-house FC 24 tournaments was a common one across all of the League of Ireland talent we spoke to.
27 September 2023; Join the Club as EA SPORTS FC welcomes the League of Ireland to FC 24! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/FC24 when the game launches worldwide this Friday, September 29th! Brandon Kavanagh of Derry City during the EA SPORTS FC 24 SSE Airtricity League Cover Launch at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Brandon Kavanagh of Derry City told us that he'll be throwing himself in alongside Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez in the Liverpool attack on career mode, before saying that he is looking forward to taking on a few teammates who have gotten too big for their boots when it comes to gaming in recent weeks:
I like career mode, especially the manager career mode. I'll probably jump straight into that.
I'm not too sure [where I'll start], sometimes I like to go League Two but then after six months I scrap that...I'll probably jump in with Liverpool and see how far I can get them. I'll definitely sign myself! Get myself as high as I can! Maybe throw myself on when we're 1- or 2-0 up, get myself a couple of goals.
Before games we have a PlayStation there for a couple of hours there before the game. We would play each other - but I'm sick of playing them. I'm too good for them. All it is...they talk the talk and then get hit 3-0. They have to put the controller down.
If Kavanagh is what you'd call confident, then we're not sure what word you'd use to describe Dundalk's Keith Ward.
27 September 2023; Join the Club as EA SPORTS FC welcomes the League of Ireland to FC 24! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/FC24 when the game launches worldwide this Friday, September 29th! Keith Ward of Dundalk during the EA SPORTS FC 24 SSE Airtricity League Cover Launch at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The Dublin-born midfielder was at the FC 24 launch on Wednesday, and spoke to Balls.ie of his memories of playing old editions of the game with housemates down through his footballing career.
Ward issued a rallying cry to the rest of the league, to see if any of them would be willing to come for his crown as the self-proclaimed best FC player in the League of Ireland:
It's nice to come in and do things like this, see a few of the lads - and get a free copy, you can't go wrong! I'll probably give it to my nephew, to be honest, I think my FC days are numbered now, I'm probably getting too old.
I kinda dwindled out with it. I used to play it for about 20 years. I was always the best player on the team as well, I'll probably give someone else a chance now.
Over the years when I lived with lads off the team, it would have been a big thing. All the lads would come around the house and have tournaments and that. It was a good thing to kill a bit of time and that.
Some of the lads play online - I still play a little bit. Last year, Daniel Kelly, I'd play him - I don't think he's ever beaten me. It was always a big thing in football dressing rooms. It's a good thing to have.
I'd have had a lot of competition over the years, but I don't think anyone's ever been better than me in the league. If anyone wants to step up, they know where I am.
The challenge has been laid down to the rest of the league - will anyone take it up against Keith Ward?
One man who might need to dust off his skills if he is to take on Dundalk's Ward on FC 24 is Shamrock Rovers' Gary O'Neill.
27 September 2023; Join the Club as EA SPORTS FC welcomes the League of Ireland to FC 24! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/FC24 when the game launches worldwide this Friday, September 29th! Gary O'Neill of Shamrock Rovers during the EA SPORTS FC 24 SSE Airtricity League Cover Launch at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The Hoops midfielder gave us the inside scoop on the tournaments that have taken over Rovers' recent jaunts around Europe, though he himself has played little part in them.
O'Neill told us he hopes to dust off his skills and take on the likes of Aaron Greene, Jack Byrne and, in particular, Dylan Watts on the new game:
I wouldn't be part of it but when we go on away trips, there's always one room in the hotel that you can hear down the hallway, which is the tournament. I might try and get myself into the next one - there's always one in the away games in Europe.
Dylan Watts absolutely loves it, he's very good. Aaron Greene is a big player, Jack Byrne is a big player. I think, from the conversations I've had, Dylan is the main man.
He will hope to last longer on FC 24 than St. Pats man Tom Grivosti has in recent years.
27 September 2023; Join the Club as EA SPORTS FC welcomes the League of Ireland to FC 24! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/FC24 when the game launches worldwide this Friday, September 29th! Tom Grivosti of St Patrick's Athletic during the EA SPORTS FC 24 SSE Airtricity League Cover Launch at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Speaking to us at Wednesday's launch, Grivosti said that it will be a struggle to stay motivated on the game in the weeks and months ahead - and said that his Pro Clubs endeavours with Chris Forrester, Harry Brockbank, and Jamie Lennon did not bring them great success:
I'll be having a go, but I normally have a go at the start and then give up after about a month. I'll see how long I last this year.
We've got a little Pro Clubs going a few months ago with me, Forrester, Brockbank, and Lennie. We'll have to get on it again this year and hopefully do better - I think we got to like Division Eight, hopefully we improve this year!
Featured image: Sportsfile
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