ESL Collegiate has signed a three-year agreement with the BIG EAST Conference and extended its partnership with the West Coast Conference (WCC).
For the spring season, League of Legends teams from participating schools will compete in each of the collegiate conferences.
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With its continued partnership, the BIG EAST Conference will be integrated into ESL Collegiate’s programming to expand broadcasts, launch additional on-campus events, and add new titles to the program for the next three years.
Yvette Martinez-Rea, CEO of ESL North America, explained the decision to grow ESL’s presence in collegiate esports: “At ESL, we believe collegiate esports is a foundational element of the amateur competitive gaming experience. We’re excited to be working with industry leading partners to help structure the ecosystem and advance the level of support and visibility for gamers on college campuses across the U.S.”
Participating BIG EAST schools include Butler University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, Seton Hall, St. John’s University, and Villanova University. ESL and BIG EAST first worked together to launch a Rocket League competition in October 2018.
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Chris Schneider, Senior Associate Commissioner of BIG EAST, expressed his hopes for the upcoming collegiate season: “Our institutions have expressed continued interest in esports and our expanded partnership with ESL will allow us to bring more content and more opportunities to them. Esports has helped to fuel the collaboration between our institutions and provide a great opportunity to engage with the gaming community on each campus. We’re looking forward to the start of the Spring 2020 Season.”
The WCC will also return for the ESL Collegiate spring season. Schools that will participate in the League of Legends tournament include Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, University of the Pacific, University of Portland, University of San Diego, and University of San Francisco. The partnership was initially formed in November last year.
Esports Insider says: ESL supporting a healthy esports ecosystem in the collegiate esports space will be positive for the gaming community and any young players looking for a competitive challenge in the scene.
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