ESL North America Extends ESL Collegiate Relationships With Big East, WCC

ESL’s ESL Collegiate has signed a three-year agreement with the Big East Conference and has extended its partnership with the West Coast Conference (WCC) for the Spring 2020 Season, where participating teams will compete in League of Legends.

“At ESL, we believe collegiate esports is a foundational element of the amateur competitive gaming experience,” said Yvette Martinez-Rea, CEO, ESL North America. “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.”

In an effort to maintain a consistent structure across college campuses, ESL Collegiate has signed a three-year agreement with the BIG EAST Conference. With this continued partnership, the BIG EAST Conference will be integrated into each season of ESL Collegiate programming to expand participating schools’ broadcasts, create additional on-campus events, and add new game titles to the program. Participating BIG EAST schools include Butler University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, Seton Hall, St. John’s University, and Villanova University. Competition for League of Legends will kick off on February 22 and will run through playoffs on April 11. The complete schedule for the upcoming season will be available at www.bigeast.com/esports.

“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,” said Val Ackerman, Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference.  “Esports has helped promote an exciting level of collaboration among our institutions and provides an impactful 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 2020 Season. Participating schools 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 WCC season kicks off on February 16, concluding with the broadcasted playoffs on March 29.

“ESL Collegiate has given our students a unique opportunity to engage in esports under the WCC umbrella and grow esports experiences on college campuses in alignment with the mission and values of the WCC institutions,” said Gloria Nevarez, Commissioner, West Coast Conference. “Leaning on ESL’s expertise in the space, we’re excited to continue building upon the success of the Fall season that echoes WCC’s ethic of excellence and innovation.”