The Twickenham-based organization described the deal as 'long-term', and comes hot on the heels of a brand update ahead of the 2021 League of Legends season.
Alli is a well-known gamer outside of his football commitments, and often streams Fortnite or Call of Duty to his 133k followers on Twitch. He also has a partnership with gaming hardware brand HyperX — also partnered with EXCEL — and gaming chair company SecretLab.
According to EXCEL, Alli will "provide the teams roster of talent with the opportunity to benefit from his experience and knowledge of being an elite athlete to further develop their own psychological skill set, including how to deal with pressure better, overcoming challenges to perform at their highest ability and bouncing back from setbacks."
In return, EXCEL will immerse the player in esports, helping him gain knowledge of how brands work in the space and "expand his knowledge of the industry and how to game competitively."
The co-founders of EXCEL, Joel and Kieran Holmes-Darby, are well-known Spurs supporters, and have pulled off a coup in bringing in one of the most recognisable figures in English football to the organization.
"What drew me to EXCEL was the fact it’s the biggest British esports brand in the country and competes at the top level of esports," Alli said. "As well as this, I love the fact the brand was born out of a passion for gaming and the values it upholds."
"My knowledge of being a competitive athlete is something I believe can really benefit EXCEL’s roster of talent as they continue to strive to be better every single day but I’ll also be looking to further my own knowledge and understanding of this truly exciting industry."
"Following the recent launch of the new EXCEL and our vision in The Power of Better, we've been looking for a person who’s our own inspiration in getting the best out of ourselves," said EXCEL's CEO Wouter Sleijffers.
"Therefore, we’re very pleased that Dele is coming on board to support us in our new, purpose led journey. Dele knows better than anyone what it means to reach and stay at the top and also exhibits true passion and professionalism that is so prevalent in our own competitions."
EXCEL's recent rebranding, under the slogan 'The Power of Better', aims to 'incorporate purpose into its brand identity'. A large part of this is a focus on wellness and positive habits within esports, something several top organisations are leaning into as the industry becomes more professional and sustainable. The organisation recently signed with UK-based telecommunications giant BT as it's lead partner.
