There’s a reason that more and more elite athletes are throwing themselves into Esports. Whether it’s retired NFL stars like Kenny Vaccaro or current premier league soccer players such as Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk, these athletes are not just paying video games, but they are becoming team owners and managers who are crucial to their peers’ success. And, with serious prize money up for grabs in leagues such as BLAST Premier and others, winning is a lucrative business. Matthieu Péché has worked as the team manager for Team Vitality since 2019.
His squad specializes in online Counter Strike tournaments. CS is, for the uninitiated, a popular series of first-person tactical shooter games, but Péché brings his real-world sporting success into the mix for getting the best out of his players. As a canoeist, the Frenchman earned bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games and a world championship in 2017 in doubles races. Here, Péché tells M&F how his work ethic and essential values such as respect, teamwork, and being physically active are putting his team levels above the rest.
When did you first get excited about gaming?
Matthieu Péché: Even though I’ve spent my entire career in sport, I’ve always enjoyed video games. I joined Team Vitality as Team Manager of the Counter-Strike team in 2019. From there, I really began to immerse myself in the world of Esport performance. Even though Counter Strike is one of the most mature and advanced scenes, there were a lot of strategies and reflexes to put in place.
How would you describe your role as Counter-Strike 2 manager?
My role is to be the gatekeeper between my team and the rest of the world. This means ensuring that players’ schedules are balanced and managed down to the minute, to create the best conditions for them to perform. For that, I try to put my experience as a top-level sportsman to work every day to develop the team’s performance and well-being.
What are some of the biggest prizes that the team has won?
Since the creation of the international roster of Team Vitality on CS, the year 2023 was one of triumph for the club. Our team managed to win five major circuit trophies, including the IEM Rio in the April, winning $100,000 in the prize pool, the BLAST.tv Major Paris in the May, winning $500k in the prize pool, the Gamers8 Saudi Arabia in the August, winning $400,000 in prize pool, the BLAST Premier Fall Final Copenhagen in the November, winning $200,000 in prize pool, and the BLAST Premier World Final Abu Dhabi in the December, all back in 2023, winning $500k in prize pool.
How important is it to bring an athletes mindset to gaming, given your own experience in sports?
As in traditional sport, players have to perform on a high level so they need to be ready and on time as a team. It means each individual player has to increase their own level and then sync with other team members to play as a unit. During the whole preparation outside the game, aspects that are important include good health, good sleep, good movement. I’m trying to push them beyond the limit to make them reflect on what they are capable of doing.
Does the team work remotely, or are the players altogether every day at the club in Paris?
We train and play remotely outside of tournaments and together during competitions or while boot-camping before events. We travel together as a team for six months throughout the year approximately.
What kinds of rules or practices do you expect from the team?
I have a strong work ethic and values such as respect, teamwork, inclusion and perseverance. My team and I have a single goal: to achieve excellence.
Do you think that physical fitness is essential for being a great gamer?
Physical fitness is the key for me. The brain is one thing, but it won’t be efficient without a good physical condition. Each player needs to find his path and his routine and the physical fitness to perform.
How often do some individual gaming sessions last?
Overall, it’s 6-8 hours per day of game training and practice. We also encourage players to include gym training at least a few hours per week.
What kinds of exercises would you recommend for working on our reflexes to become more advanced gamers?
Tennis reaction ball drills before a game really wakeup and test the reflexes, similar to the training in tennis and Formula 1. We also incorporate lots of other exercises for reactivity and coordination such as ping pong, soccer and other balls games for warming up.
You mentioned that some gaming sessions are long. Do you work on stamina?
Any cardio activity helps players to keep up during long games but this also helps them to keep their bodies in shape and cope with the demanding pace of
competitions all over the world. Stamina is essential throughout play, all gamers in the team have thousands of hours of play on Counter Strike.
Thanks so much for your time and best of luck in future tournaments! What are your hopes for the future of the team?
I’d like to see our team’s efforts rewarded at the upcoming tournaments in the second half of the year. So far, we haven’t managed to go all the way. Initially, I’d like to see them shine at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups Copenhagen in July, and in IEM Cologne in August.