The 22-year-old swapped the boots for the controller after a serious injury brought her career on the pitch to an end, but has since gone on to become a big name among the gaming community.
https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/aberdeens-kelsie-grieg-becomes-first-8294448
By Ruaraidh BrittonTrainee Reporter
14:46, 27 MAR 2023 UPDATED17:01, 27 MAR 2023
An Aberdeen footballer-turned-gamer has made esports history by becoming the first woman in the world to qualify to play Call of Duty at elite level.
Kelsie “Kels” Grieg, 22, swapped the football pitch for video games six years ago after a serious groin injury forced her to give up a promising career on the pitch
Having played for Scotland Women’s Under-17s, the former Hazlehead Academy pupil used the skills she honed on the pitch to see off her Call of Duty rivals in the super-competitive world of esports, and is now at the top of her game.
Kels has since been hailed as an “inspiration” for blazing a trail for female players in the male-dominated online gaming industry.
Kels, who has been nominated for a Sunday Mail Young Scot Award, told the Daily Mail: “It took a while to sink in that I had qualified for the Call of Duty Challengers Elite tournament, never mind that I was the first woman to do so. To be honest, I qualified in January and it is still sinking in.
“I truly hope me getting this far on the world stage will encourage other females to get involved. I want to rubbish the stereotypes that people have, especially in such a male-dominated scene.
“There’s always been some sort of stereotypes around women competing in esports and, while I’ve experienced some of that in Call of Duty, for the most part the community has always been welcoming .
“Yes, online gaming is a terrifying male-dominated world but, if I can conquer it, so can others. I might have been the first female to get this far but I hope I won’t be the last.
“My next goal is to become the first woman to play in the pro-league and I’m determined to score it. Why not? I’ve got this far.”
Kels travels all over the world taking part in tournaments, and recalled how she ended up making the switch.
“I got involved in gaming completely by accident. I was 16 and playing football at a national level for Scotland when I got injured,” she said.
“It was a bad groin injury that I couldn’t walk off so I was stuck sitting in my bedroom with nothing to do. It was a horrible, depressing time for me.
“I went from playing football twice a day to literally being able to do no exercise. It was playing Call of Duty online with my friends that got me through that bad time and it seemed the more I played, the better I became.”
Playing online for at least six hours a day, Kels started to get noticed by some of the better players on the online battle circuit and they helped get her name out there.
The former Fernielea Primary School pupil, who goes by the gaming name of Kelsaroony, said: “I started out competing with friends in online tournaments and then I started coming up against some of the pros, who thought I was OK and that got my name out there.
“My game just kept improving and now my team and I compete in the Challengers, which is the level below the multimillion-dollar Call of Duty pro-league.”
Kels plays as part of team eFuse, which includes James “Genesis” Smith, Conor “BBConor” Beale and Ewen “Disarray” Harmer.
She added: “We have to put in a lot of hours both playing Call of Duty and watching back games so we can work out what we need to improve.
“It’s at least six hours every day and we have tournaments on Saturdays and Sundays. If you want to make it, you have to put in the hours. If I am not in my bedroom gaming, I’m away at a tournament abroad. It’s become my full-time career.
“Until recently I worked as an aquatics assistant for Aberdeen Sport but now I’m concentrating on trying to go pro. I get money for qualifying for competitions and for streaming on Twitch.”
Kels added: “My mum and my whole family have been very supportive. It’s a weird career for them to come to terms with, especially as they are having to listen to all the negatives and not the pros of gaming.
“But my mum goes out of her way to read everything about the gaming world and watches me play. She loves the opportunities it has given me and all the fantastic places I’m getting to see.”
Kels, who is one of Europe’s top players, said her footballing past has played a part in her Call of Duty success.
She said: “I started playing in the boys’ team when I was at primary school and went on to play for Aberdeen before being scouted for the national team.
“The skills and leadership I learned through football, especially the competitive aspect, translate well into gaming. Football taught me to go for the win every time and it also gave me a thick skin.
“There is always someone who is ready to tear you down but I give as good as I get and I’m also able to pick myself up and move on. I’m used to the name calling or the guys who won’t team with me because I am female.”
Kels, who had previously attended the Scottish FA’s performance school in Aberdeen, said: “Playing football with the boys taught me how to survive in a male-dominated world and I’ve been able to silence a lot of men by proving the skill I have.
“I love proving people wrong and I want to encourage other girls to do the same.
“I’ve had lots of girls come up to me and tell me I’m an inspiration, which is really great. I just hope they see me and go for it themselves. Call of Duty isn’t just for boys.”
Kels’s record-breaking and inspirational achievement has earned her a Young Scot award nomination in the entertainment category.
There is only a fortnight left to nominate someone you know for an award. The winners will be announced at a star-studded festival-style ceremony at Glasgow’s Platform – formerly known as The Arches – on June 8.