Liquid's brand-new base in Utrecht is a throwback to the organization's founding in the Dutch city by former StarCraft pro Victor "Nazgul" Goossens over twenty years ago. A thriving and modern city, Utrecht is known for being a tech hub in the Netherlands, and boasts a vibrant culture.
The facility has a prime city-centre location with transport connections just minutes away, and has been designed in partnership with Venhoeven CS and AHH Architects to be environmentally sustainable. Bio-based and recycled materials have been used in construction, and incorporates an efficient cooling installation system and smart acoustic and light systems.
The facility comes packed with dedicated areas covering esports, content creation, administration and community outreach, including:
- World-class practice and scrim rooms to facilitate enhanced training
- Onsite athlete accommodations and gym allowing for rest and recovery
- Custom Team Liquid art and branding
- 120-person viewing party zone
- Bullpen-style open office
- A full-time executive chef to provide nutritious dining offerings
Thanks to Team Liquid's almost-decade-long partnership with Dell, the facility comes equipped with world-class technology aimed at keeping Liquid 'at the top of their game'.
Incorporating the new Alienware Legend identity, the facility has two themes — Lunar Light and Dark Side of the Moon — and is reflected in the equipment on offer to players and staff. Alienware workstations are available to all, while top-of-the-range Aurora R11 gaming PCs can be found in the players' training rooms.
These rooms also feature 120" screens, paired with Dell 4K laser projectors, for analysis and review of games.
It's not only in the gaming equipment that the facility impresses. Everything, down to servers and infrastructure, radiates technological advancement. Dell's enterprise tech will allow staff to keep Liquid ticking over while their players do the talking in their virtual worlds.
“Our goal with the Alienware Training Facility was simple: provide Team Liquid with top-of-the-line technology so they can continue their winning legacy," says Bryan de Zayas, Global Marketing Director at Dell Technologies.
"This world-class facility is outfitted with the best Alienware hardware and end-to-end solutions from across the Dell Technologies portfolio. We congratulate Team Liquid staff and players on this amazing accomplishment, here’s to many more years of big plays and winning!"
It's not only pro players who will benefit from the facility, either — Team Liquid's extensive roster of content creators will also be able to take advantage of the technology and other perks on offer from the centralised location.
Streamers, for example, will be able to go live in the comfort of their own booths when visiting, while meetings can be conducted from a range of Marvel-themed pods.
As well as professional esports athletes, the Alienware Training Facility will house much of Team Liquid's administrative and support staff. As such, the facility needs to provide more than just gaming setups. Goossens himself will also be based out of the Utrecht location, as he has for many years, and the artwork adorning his new office is testament to the organisation he has helped build.
There's also a nod to recently departed StarCraft pro Dario "TLO" Wünsch.
For Goossens, the opening of the facility is a dream.
“Opening the Alienware Training Facility in Utrecht is the culmination of incredible dedication and countless hours of work from our staff and our players. Team Liquid’s evolution - from a passion and community driven project to an international organization, supporting pro players at the peak of their careers the world over - has been an amazing ride.
Along the way, partners like Alienware have helped us to realize dreams we couldn’t even articulate in our earliest days. This facility is truly a testament to our shared values as an org: sustainability, care for our players and for esports as a whole, and elite performance in all that we do.
The AWTF EU is a landmark for esports, and it means everything to have that landmark emerge from our founding city. I’m tremendously proud of everyone who helped make this dream a reality.”
Stay tuned for our behind-the-scenes look at just what Team Liquid's new Alienware Training Facility means for the future of the organisation!
All images and video content courtesy of Team Liquid.
