The tournament, taking place on 21 May, will be contested by a host of Scottish clubs, with professional FIFA players Mitchell Hayward and Josh Blunden representing United.

Professor Gregor White of Abertay University’s School of Design and Informatics said: “As close city partners, this new collaboration between Abertay and Dundee United makes perfect sense and it’s excellent to be supporting the club as they embark on their first steps into the rapidly-growing Esports sector.

“With the video games and Esports industries continuing to go from strength to strength, events like the E-Scottish Football Cup represent a chance for sports organisations like United to attract a different type of fan who’ll value their team’s digital performance every bit as much as their efforts on the pitch.”

Dundee United’s Head of Commercial, Elliot Shaw, said: “We are delighted to be taking our first steps as a club into the world of Esports through the E-Scottish Football Cup. The Esports sector is growing significantly, and we are excited to have Josh and Mitch representing the club in the inaugural national competition.

“Dundee has a rich history in video games with titles such as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto hailing from the city. At the centre of this success is Abertay University, who are the UK’s leading university in video games. We are thrilled that Abertay have agreed to come on board as sponsors as we get set for our maiden voyage in Esports”.

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United’s youngest-ever first team player, Rory MacLeod, visited the University to learn more about its world-leading teaching and research in video games and the games design courses on offer in its School of Design and Informatics.

The University launched the world’s first video games degree in 1997 and is a National Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education, with a number of specialist facilities including one of Europe’s largest PlayStation 5 labs, an Emergent Technology Centre, and a Visual Production Research Environment (ViPRE).

The E-Scottish Football Cup

75 clubs from across the country have been invited to this newly-established efootball tournament, which will be backed by the professional game, including the SPFL, Highland and Lowland league teams.

The eScottish Football Cup will seek generate new revenue streams for professional football clubs in Scotland, with a prize pool of £50,000 up for grabs.

eRena Sports, supported by Consilium Sports Group, will host this tournament at Hampden Park on May 20 and 21.