RAF gaming star thrilled to be UK military's first 'High Performing Athlete' in esports
RAF star Stelios Elia says it is a "massive point of pride" to be awarded 'High Performing Athlete' status for his work in military rocket league – the first such award in UK military esports.
High Performance is a status conferred upon those who compete, coach, official or judge internationally above UKAF level or at a professional or equivalent level but who have not sought or been granted Elite Athlete Status.
A pioneer for RAF esports, utilising a wide array of skills in competing, commentating and overseeing the running of events, Elia would have been afforded 'Elite Athlete' status, a level higher, but did not seek it due to enjoyment of his day job in the Air Force, working as a cyber professional.
A top achiever
A mainstay of many RAF and Inter Services rocket league competitions, Elia has spent nearly three years of coaching at the highest level of professional rocket league. His stellar work includes the mentorship and training of English great Kurtis 'Kash' Cannon, as well as one of the most exciting young professionals in Lewis 'Pluvo' Down.
He is known best to BFBS audiences, perhaps, for his achievements with the RAF Stormshadows team, who won the Inter Services Rocket League Championships in Sunderland in December 2025.
He broke into the RLCS main event (top 16) on three occasions in his first split, which included a top eight in the European Last Chance Qualifier for the World Championships.
Some of his top performances, such as his fifth appearance in the top 16, have led to call ups to coach the Cyprus national team.
Word of thanks
Speaking to BFBS Forces News, he expressed his gratitude to those who have helped him along the way.
"I would definitely like to thank the three players that gave me the first opportunity. Without them and their responsiveness to coaching, I would not be in the position I am today within professional rocket league.
"I have always maintained that you can be the best coach in the world, but if the players are not coachable, it's a pointless endeavour. I would also like to thank my brother Odysseus, who has always closely followed the journey and offered his support."
A new landscape
Elia described a positive outlook for the future of the sport, noting: "What started off as a small community across the tri-service, has now evolved into a full-on 'service season' of rocket league, featuring at least four competitive LANs a year, hosted by various entities, such as the Inter Service Championships, Allied Forces Esports Invitational, hosted by US forces), IDEG (International Defence Esports Games) and of course the fantastic BFBS Pro League.
"We have also seen a massive uptick in players interested in representing all three services across all levels. There are now eight official RAF rocket league rosters."
However, he duly points out that challenges still remain.
"For me, it is breaking the stigma that esports cannot seem to shake off. From grassroots level, purely from playing for fun, all the way to the professional level, it carries many benefits that help us not only in our professional lives, but also our personal lives.
"As a cyber professional, I have to be able to react quickly to dynamic environments during taskings and make consistently good decisions to get the job done right under a lot of pressure, all of which is heavily emphasised at the professional level in esports."
What’s next?
Elia has recently been appointed UKAF coach and has selected a team of three British Army players and one from the RAF to represent the military at IDEG in October.
He will also be present at the highly anticipated BFBS Pro League Grand Final in late September.
The experience will be open to invited guests, but general admission to the museum can also get you access to BFBS Esports activities, coverage of the grand final in the RAF theatre, augmented reality esports experiences including HADO, simulators and gaming opportunities with RAFAC, Royal Navy STEM activities and live performances from the British Army Rifles Band and cadet bands.
Event information can be found here: https://bfbsesports.com/news/bfbs-finals.
Full livestream coverage will be available via the BFBS Esports YouTube and Twitch, with updates shared across the website, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
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