Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association Announced for CS:GO

By Nicholas Barth ·

A Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association for the professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene has been announced, marking the first formation of a union organization in CS:GO.

Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association Announced for CS:GO

According to a report by Counter-Strike news outlet HLTV, close to 90 players have already joined the newly announced Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association (CSPPA) with seven of the players having agreed to form the board for the CSPPA and go public with the news of the organization's formation. 

The report states that esports personality Scott "SirScoots" Smith formed the CSPPA earlier in the year in partnership with the organization of Danish Elite Athletes Association and a group players that were led by Astralis player Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth. 

The founding board of the CSPPA consists of the following players of the professional CS:GO scene. 

Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth

Epitacio "TACO" de Melo

Tarik "tarik" Celik

Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski

Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert

Chris "chrisJ" de Jong

Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt

Xyp9x was at the helm of the grouo pf players who pushed for the CSPPA.
Xyp9x was at the helm of the grouo pf players who pushed for the CSPPA.

These seven members of the founding board for the CSPPA will make all of the organization's decisions on the association's behalf to work towards achieving the "best possible conditions for players". Members of CSPPA will be voting to keep the current board or decided to replace it within the first year of operations for the organization.

The main goal of the organization will be to provide legal aid to players regarding their professional CS:GO contract negotiations and to be the unified voice of the players of the professional CS:GO scene. Daily operations will be ran by legal advisor Michael Døi and by Mads Øland, CEO of the Danish Elite Athletes Association.

Any player who is contracted or seeking a contract as a professional Counter-Strike player and competes at an "elite level" will be eligible to become a member. The organization is also currently recruiting new members.

The announcement of the CSPPA marks the second formation of a union like organization in the esports industry, as the North American League Championship Series (NA LCS) Players Association was formed back in June.

(cover photo courtesy of ESPN)