Disclaimer: At the time of this article’s publication, ENUK’s editor Dom Sacco worked for the British eSports Association full-time, so was not able to write about the organisation objectively. Dom left British Esports full-time in February 2021 and now produces its email newsletter on a freelance basis. Here’s an article based purely on the original press release below. For more info on our coverage of the British eSports Association, read this statement here.
The British eSports Association has outlined its long-term plans and five key areas of focus, including funding.
The organisation was formed earlier this year and has for the first time revealed its plans in greater detail, following a consultation period.
It hopes to fund and support grassroots eSports, establish best practice, deliver courses and qualifications, increase awareness of eSports and provide expertise and advise, with a full website launching in December 2016.
The association said the UK eSports scene is ‘in dire need of funding’, and plans to help fund the scene through a combination of membership fees, events, local government and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) support, donations and corporate partners/sponsors.
As the British eSports Association is a not-for-profit organisation, all revenues generated will go back into the running of the organisation, and into funding grassroots eSports, including supporting the setting up of clubs, creating an infrastructure, supporting UK players, organisations and more.
In terms of best practice, the British eSports Association will be producing guidelines for grassroots entities, such as clubs, schools and other groups, as well as amateur-level organisations including teams and players.
“Our guidelines will be there to promote best practice, excellence and professionalism, to give individuals and organisations a code of conduct to focus on, and show their potential partners, contemporaries and stakeholders that they are making an attempt to be upstanding and professional,” the association said in a statement.
The association will eventually be offering day courses for coaches, admins/referees and management, potentially at its National Training Centre in Pinewood Studios, which is due to open at a later date.
It will also be working with the media, producing its own content and establishing links with schools and academics to help put eSports on the map in the UK, increase awareness and offer advice and expertise to newcomers, non-eSports fans (such as parents and teachers) and those within the scene.
It recognises other topics that need to be addressed, such as visas for pro gamers, contract parity and online harassment.
Meetings have also taken place between the British eSports Association and various academic institutions, as well as publishers such as Activision, Blizzard and Microsoft, and with the UK Government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Chester King, Acting CEO, said: “We are on a mission to promote the positive qualities of eSports and reinforce it as a credible activity. eSports delivers important life and cyber skills, which all children should have the opportunity to develop.
“Ultimately I would like to see the same number of eSports clubs in schools as there are traditional sports clubs.”
The association will be setting up an Advisory Board, to be announced in December, consisting of one of the following (plus a separate sub-committee within each):
- Academic
- Caster
- Journalist
- Lawyer
- Player
- Production (tournament provider)
- Publisher
- Team manager/owner
- UKIE member
An observer from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport will also be present.
For the full report, visit the British eSports Association website.
Disclaimer: ENUK’s editor Dom Sacco now works for the British eSports Association full-time, so is not able to write about the organisation objectively. For more info on our coverage of the British eSports Association, read this statement here.
