When Astralis' Counter-Strike team on Friday officially opens this year's Gamebox Festival in Herning’s MCH, for the first time ever all Astralis fans will have the opportunity to join the new official fan club.

Astralis has partnered up with the unofficial fan club "DanishCorner” to provide a range of new opportunities for Danish and international Astralis fans to indulge in their shared passion alongside their peers.

The goal is to gather as many Astralis fans as possible for local and international tournaments, to support the large online community, and to organize special offline events for Astralis fans.

Anders Hørsholt, CEO of Astralis:

- No matter where our team travels, they meet fans from all over the world, and especially in Denmark, the players feel the massive support. We have wanted to do more for the group that supports us the most, and the collaboration with DanishCorner means gives us the opportunity to do just that in collaboration with our partners, Astralis Nexus, the tournaments, and our different teams. The support we have experience, even as we rebuild the team, is extremely important, and I am glad that we have found a way to do even more for the fans through this move, says Hørsholt.

Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander, team captain of Astralis' main team, added:

- Astralis fans are truly special, both in good times and when we’re not winning everything. It's an incredible feeling to lift the trophy in front of thousands of cheering fans, but the support we feel in tough times cannot be compared to anything else. That's why I'm very excited that DanishCorner has now become official and can grow even bigger and stronger. Astralis is like a family, and you can feel it best among the fans who are always there for us. I look forward to being able to repay them for their support, says the team captain.

David Rasmussen, chairman of DanishCorner:

- DanishCorner started in early 2017 as a small group of friends who met up for tournaments, primarily in Denmark. Today, we see hundreds of Astralis jerseys at matches around the world, and at the biggest tournaments, there are thousands of fans supporting the team. We also know there are many, many more people who watch the games from home or just support Astralis. It's a community where everyone is welcome, and the common denominator is the love for the game - and for Astralis, of course.

- Without offering much more than a basic Facebook group, we have gathered just over 800 unofficial members. It is a good start, but with this initiative and the help from Astralis in organizing trips, ticket purchases, hosting special events for members, and having a direct line to the teams, I expect that we will grow much, much bigger. I think people will be surprised to learn how many fans truly support this team and everything the organization does for Danish esports.

- For me it’s much more than the matches. It’s being together around a positive movement and I'm immensely proud every time Astralis gets involved in various initiatives for the benefit of Danish esports and society in general. That's one of the reasons why so many people remain loyal and why more people join, even though we haven't had the best results for a while. The results will certainly come, especially with a new official fan club behind the teams, but the Astralis family will always be something very special, regardless of when we win the next Major.

- It would be great to win our fifth Major on home turf in Royal Arena next year, but regardless, you can be sure to see thousands of Astralis fans supporting the team, celebrating the game, and enjoying being part of a caring, fun, and cool esports community. That's what DanishCorner is, and now we're even official, says the chairman.

Membership registration opens on Friday at Gamebox and online at astralis.gg/DanishCorner, where you can find more information about the fan club, values, benefits, and events.

Membership is free.