After yet another disappointing, failed qualification for the World Championship, North American League of Legends giant Team Liquid has opened its application process to the public as it searches for a new head coach.
On Sept. 7, former coach Peter “Peter” Zhang stepped down from the role. Many fans and analysts alike hoped that assistant coach Mark “MarkZ” Zimmerman would be his successor. But Team Liquid is taking another route.
On the job posting, the organization notes that it’d prefer someone with five years or more of previous, traditional sports experience. It also boasts two separate salary options: $32,000 a year plus all living, health insurance, and food expenses covered; or $55,000 a year with just health insurance coverage.
The trend of traditional sports staff in esports seems to be growing after an impressive result from fellow League titan Counter Logic Gaming. The team hired Clemson University sports management graduate Chris “BlurredLimes” Ehrenreich as its head coach—while analyst Tony “Zikz” Gray moved into a strategic, in-game coaching position. The changes to its infrastructure were fruitful as Ehrenreich and Gray led the team to its first World Championship qualification in its history.
Now, Team Liquid looks to replicate its peer’s success. But due to Korean imports Kim “FeniX” Jae-hoon and Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin being members of the squad, it seeks for candidates to be bilingual in Korean and English—amongst other rare qualifications. The organization hopes to choose its new coach from the applicants come the end of September.
