WATCH: Virtual Community Shield (VPL pre-season)

We all know that the English football season doesn't just begin with Round 1 of the Premier League immediately taking place. Each club goes through a rigorous pre-season with managers drilling new tactics into their squads, players getting themselves match-fit for the strenuous season ahead and fans looking for any insight they can get into how the upcoming campaign may play out.

The virtual world is no different. Since word of the 2020 VPL season got out on the 31st March, the virtual teams have been ramping up their preparation in a pre-season that has now culminated in England's traditional curtain-raiser between last season's most successful teams. That's right, it's Community Shield time.

Manchester City's domestic treble in the 2018/19 campaign means they took both of the Community Shield qualification spots as Premier League and FA Cup winners. In such an instance, the Premier League runners-up take a spot and so we are left with City facing Liverpool at Wembley.

Fortunately for you all, we at Superbru have managed to broadcast the 2020 Virtual Community Shield and we hope the game will give you a far better idea of what the upcoming VPL experience will be like.

Join the Virtual Premier League Predictor

This is an opportunity for you to take a look at how the FIFA gameplay works with the two favourites for the VPL title doing battle in this fixture. We hope it answers some of the questions you may still have about our predictor tournament and ultimately makes you even more excited for the event that will hopefully cure some of the boredom we're all feeling during the current lockdown.

Here is Manchester City vs. Liverpool in the 2020 Virtual Community Shield:



Note: Please excuse the issue on the formation lineup graphics with a lack of player names - this is an issue on EA's side rather than ours we believe. It shouldn't affect the Premier League matches as much!

Virtual Premier League broadcasting

The aim is to show you a VPL game in every single round (every day) of the upcoming tournament in order to increase the detail and fun we can have with this virtual tournament.

We are working on a plan to ensure that following every pick deadline (3pm UK time), the game that has been selected for 'live TV coverage' will begin broadcasting on the Superbru website and app around 5 minutes after the deadline.

The games will be shown via a YouTube 'Premiere' meaning that each match will be shown in good quality and in a way that acts as live for us all to watch together. Anyone who is able to tune in for that first showing of each game will be streaming the VPL simultaneously with all other brus as the Premiere will not allow people to fast forward through the match and know the result before others.

Our aim is to create an experience whereby you can cheer on the virtual team you have picked at Superbru without knowledge of the result so we can try and fill the void we are currently experiencing with no 'real' Superbru tournaments currently taking place!

We hope you enjoyed the Community Shield and congratulations to the winners! Some serious momentum gained ahead of VPL Round 1.