It meant a lot for me to be crowned the 2019/20 ePL champion as it is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the professional FIFA circuit and the first major trophy of my career. I didn’t even make the first tournament on FIFA 19 so winning it on FIFA 20 was even more special.

Hashtag Tom on whether winning was the biggest success of his career to date…

Yeah, it was the biggest success I’ve had in my career. It was my first major trophy and something I’d been working towards for four years in the FIFA scene. It’s the reason I play competitive FIFA so getting my first one meant a lot and considering it’s the only trophy I have to my name I have to say it’s the biggest success!

Hashtag Tom on finally winning a title after experiencing disappointments…

I can’t explain the number of times I had walked away from a tournament in FIFA 19 & 20 and felt like I should have won. I lost a final to Tekkz before, lost in two semi-finals and a quarter-final where really, I felt like I should have been lifting the trophy. To finally win the ePremier League after a lot of tough losses felt extra satisfying. My main emotion was relief as I really wanted to end the year with a trophy to my name.

Hashtag Tom on the strength of the underdogs in the ePL…

I think it shows how strong the UK FIFA scene is. I watched [2019/20 runner-up] Marc Marley beat my teammate Shawrey before he beat Tekkz [in the Xbox final] so I knew just how good he was. I think Marc did unbelievably well to beat the biggest names in the tournament so all credit to him. Hammond and Callum from Spurs and Chelsea were also seen as ‘underdogs’ before the tournament and went far on the PS4 side of things, so I think it shows the strength in depth in the ePremier League. 

Hashtag Tom on what he’s been up to since winning ePL…

I took a couple of weeks off before the release of FIFA 21. I haven’t played in any competitive tournaments since the ePL. The FIFA 21 competitive season has been put back a bit due to COVID and having to set up a new way of playing from home instead of live events. My first tournament was at the end of November.

Hashtag Tom defending his title this season…

I will be looking to defend my title this season. I haven’t decided who I will be representing yet, but it might be time to try again for Tottenham Hotspur as I support them. 

Hashtag Tom’s advice for anybody thinking about playing in the tournament, be it professionals or amateurs….

I would recommend they take part as the Premier League is a massive tournament with a lot of people watching. It also gives you the unique chance to try and represent your favourite Premier League team. And if you’re looking to break in to professional FIFA then this is the perfect opportunity for UK talent to showcase their talent.