New Jersey Based High Schools Will Compete In Historic International Esports Event Against British Esports Association
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ, October, 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- G3 Esports and Conference One (CF1) announced they will be co-hosting a scholastic esports showcase between Garden State Esports (GSE) and the British Esports Association (BES) on Saturday, October 23rd, at 9:00am eastern time.
The historic event features esports teams from New Jersey’s Barnegat, West Deptford, and The Center School high schools taking on high schools from the United Kingdom. This event is the first international esports competition to be played among schools from both sides of the Atlantic.
In affiliation with Twitch, the Global Esports Federation, and the Singapore Esports Association, the competition will be part of the second annual World Esports Day. The campaign aims to celebrate all things related to competitive gaming and how esports can be used to help students become college and career ready.
“World Esports day allows for esports organizations from all over the world to celebrate the abundance of positivity occurring in esports,” said Elliot Bond, Head of Broadcast and Events for British Esports Association, “It comes with great honor to pioneer the global esports in education infrastructure to new heights with some of the worldwide leaders in the industry.”
The esports industry continues to increase in popularity, as global market revenue is predicted to grow to $1.62 billion in the next three years and according to a study by Hitmarker, the number of jobs available in esports globally grew by 87 per cent from 5,896 in 2018 to 11,027 in 2019. With a whole new job sector on the horizon and an increase of scholarship funds now available, high schools around the world are in the midst of establishing some level of varsity esports infrastructure. In the 2018-19 school year, some 200 colleges in the U.S. offered $16 million in esports scholarships, more than a threefold increase since 2015, according to the National Association of College Esports.
“With the explosion of esports at the high school level, we believe New Jersey is leading the charge in the United States in terms of organizational infrastructure,” Garden State Esports President Chris Avilles stated. “Our goal is to help unite, build and establish scholastic esports programs presence around the globe to help our students compete on an international level.”
The very first professional international esports competition was held on August 1, 2011. Nearly one decade later, the first international match between high schools from overseas will be staged on Twitch.
'While esports continues to experience unprecedented growth, there are still many accomplishments yet to be achieved," G3 ESports CEO Anthony Gaud stated. "G3 Esports is proud to partner with such prestigious organizations to bring the first-ever overseas international high school esports competition. It's a significant step towards globally unifying the youth esports community."
With the recent launch of their 2021 fall Valorant competition in October, Conference One has quickly established itself as one of the premier college esports organizations, reaching over 250,000 users during that span. The added attention has gained notoriety and the excitement has trickled down to the high school ranks.
"There are no boundaries to the interest levels and growth experienced in competitive, scholar-gaming," Conference One commissioner Ric Serritella stated. "CF1 aims to create the unimagined, as we continue to raise the standards of excellence at the collegiate and youth levels."
The broadcast will air live on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021 at 9:00am eastern time on the Twitch homepage at www.Twitch.tv. Affiliate broadcast syndications can also be found on the Twitch channels of British Esports Association, Garden State Esports, Conference One and the Sports Illustrated website. For more information on scholastic esports please visit: www.gsesports.org.
About British Esports Association
British Esports is a not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent. As a national body, our aims are to support esports and provide expertise and advice. We are focused on the grassroots level of esports and are not a governing body.
About Garden State Esports
A nonprofit founded by teachers for students, the Garden State Esports mission is to create high-quality, student-centered experiences through scholastic esports by providing the learning, competition, and the community needed for ALL students to use esports as a platform to grow. Garden State Esports has nearly 150 school districts, about a third of the state, participating in their league which is free to join for all New Jersey schools.
About Conference One
Conference One is where ‘Play Matters!’ We promise to be BIGGER and BETTER, while providing a clear vision for a BRIGHTER future in the collegiate esports arena. Through innovative programming and strategic partnerships, Conference One provides universities and organizations the highest level of ELITE competition.
About G3 Esports
A leading developer of Esports products that resonate within the gaming community. Led by industry executives with decades of high-profile experience in entertainment, game development and igaming operations, G3 Esports is at the forefront of the upcoming “Play, Watch and Wager” revolution. For more information visit www.g3esports.gg