If you want to read the biggest stories from this week in esports, then you’ve come to the right place. From the first players’ association in Counter-Strike to McLaren starting its own esports series, there’s plenty to get caught up on.

As well as rounding up the week’s hottest stories, we have a newsletter that makes the rounds twice a week – delivering every major happening in the esports industry. Subscribe here!

Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association announced

Years of speculation and discussion are over, an official association for professional Counter-Strike players has arrived – spearheaded by Scott “SirScoots” Smith.

Titled the Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (CSPPA), the union currently has around 90 players involved and has seven founding board members which includes the likes of Epitacio “TACO” de Melo, Tarik “tarik” Celik, and Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert.

Read the full article here.

SNIPES becomes ESL’s official fashion retail supplier

German sneaker and streetwear chain SNIPES has become the official fashion retail supplier for ESL, this deal will see a co-branded collection be made.

As part of the partnership, SNIPES will have a presence at select ESL One events, including ESL One Cologne and ESL One Hamburg, as well as Gamescom – the event in which the co-branded line of apparel will be unveiled.

Read the full article here.

McLaren launches Shadow Project esports programme

Supported by Logitech G, HTC Vive, Sparco Gaming, and Alienware, British Formula 1 team McLaren has announced an esports programme: Shadow Project.

This initiative will feature players across multiple titles and platforms (Forza Motorsport on Xbox One, Real Racing 3 on mobile, iRacing & rFactor 2 on PC), with the winner being crowned McLaren’s esports champion.

Read the full article here.

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 launches esports team

In other Formula 1 news, Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 has announced its intent to join the second season of the F1 Esports Series in partnership with Veloce Esports.

The team will, aptly, go by the name of ‘Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 eSports’ and will be a part of next week’s pro draft in London. This development means Ferrari is the only team to not compete in the esports series in 2018.

Read the full article here.