The popularity of esports continues to grow exponentially. In order for educational institutions to attract talented new students for years to come, it’s never been more important to start a successful esports program.
Esports programs provide a wealth of benefits for students and schools. They supply academic, personal, and social development opportunities for students ranging from improvements in critical thinking and problem-solving skills, hand eye coordination and reflexes, and even access to scholarships.
Here, we will be focusing on things to consider as you work to scale up and grow your school’s esports club to take it to the next level.
How to Grow Your Esports Program & Club
Marketing
When it comes to marketing esports programs, many tend to hyper-focus on getting the word out. When this happens, you end up overlooking things internally. It’s just as important to market to your educational institution’s stakeholders and student body to keep them apprised of your esports program’s happenings as it is to engage with your community and fanbase.
In addition to being an important source of funding for your esports club, your internal audience also offers invaluable academic and moral support for the student competitors taking part in your esports program. Think of how fervent students and faculty members can be at educational institutions with super popular and successful sports teams. The same principle applies to your esports program.
As your student players become more successful and dominant during competitions, they will inevitably develop a loyal following both within and outside of your school. This can lead to additional and significant financial incentives. These will play a critical role in your efforts to scale up your esports program.
Additional Funding
Although esports programs share some obvious parallels to traditional sports programs, they also function similarly to startups in many ways. In this respect, starting small and scaling up have been a proven model for many educational institutions looking to kickstart an esports program of their own.
To expand and evolve, your esports program will need to fill key positions. These include coaching, programming, player development, and support positions. You’ll also need to equip your team/club with reliable gaming computers and peripherals. Don’t forget, you’ll need to properly outfit your gaming facility. All of this necessitates significant funding, often exceeding the original budget your educational institution has allotted for your esports program.
Thankfully, there are many avenues from which to secure additional funding. These can range from selling branded merchandise, running ad spots during your livestreams, and securing sponsorships from industry partners. For example, you can work with gear manufacturers and nutrition companies. You can also plan various fundraising efforts such as hosting local gaming events. You can also broadcast these through Twitch/YouTube subscriptions or membership platforms like Patreon. Here, your team can provide exclusive benefits to supporters such as behind the scenes vlogs, in-person/virtual meetups, invite only gaming sessions, etc.
Hiring Staff and Developing a Training Curriculum
An esports club sponsor helps to coordinate tournaments online through programs including HSEL or PlayVS. These platforms help facilitate team games and league schedules. A sponsor would be helpful in scheduling practice and training sessions.
Coaches are an option for esports programs, but they are not required. In many cases, coaches are former players now retired from active competition. They can impart invaluable wisdom to help your student players avoid potential pitfalls. They will also develop and implement a robust esports training curriculum with the help of the rest of the player development and support staff. This typically consists of esports-specific training objectives, psychosocial development exercises, as well as metrics with which to gauge the performance of your program’s student players.
Many school esports clubs work well because the teacher sponsors competed or have the passion for esports. Successful student players translate to a successful and competitive esports program. This, in turn, translates to the ability to attract additional sources of funding.
A Better Workspace
Your student players need a dedicated facility to assemble, train, and play. Additionally, your esports program’s gaming computers and peripherals will need a secure home. Although your program could make do with a modest facility in the beginning, your esports team will eventually outgrow it as your student players become more competitive and your program expands.
Your esports program is very much like a potted plant in this regard. Unless it’s given room to spread its roots, it will never get the opportunity to grow beyond its initial size. As you work to scale up your esports program, remember to continually evaluate and anticipate your student players’ various needs. This will ensure that your esports facility can adequately accommodate them.
New and Upgraded Equipment
Another important element to take into consideration when scaling up your educational institution’s esports program is the investment in new and upgraded gaming computers and peripherals. Gaming computers will need to be properly maintained to ensure that they’re performing at their peak. Certain components and peripherals (such as headsets, gaming keyboards, and gaming mice) will need to be replaced as they are subject to constant use.
To capitalize on the massive popularity of esports, game developers are also constantly working on new First-Person Shooter (FPS), Real-Time Strategy (RTS), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), and Player vs Player (PvP) titles, genres that lend themselves towards competitive play.
As many of the latest games often require cutting edge hardware to run smoothly, equipping your student players with the latest gaming computers and peripherals can help ensure their competitiveness in the latest esports titles. Naturally, this also necessitates the need for additional funding.
Our favorite setups — from good to great — include:
Looking for more upgraded gear options? Reach out to our Adorama Business Solutions team for esports gear, tips, and more!
