WIAA & CSL Strike High School eSports Partnership
CSL Esports, the operator of the nation’s largest collegiate esports league, has secured its first high school partnership with the Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) after announcing its launch into the high school arena in April. The WIAA represents 208,000 student-athletes in over 400 high schools and 400 middle schools across the state of Washington. The root of this partnership seeks to offer an esports infrastructure solution with a competitive platform, broadcast production, and mechanisms to amplify the inherent educational benefits of esports.
“We are excited to partner with WIAA as our first high school esports partner and look to grow similar partnerships across the U.S.,” said Rob Johnson, CEO, CSL Esports. “We are grateful to Mick Hoffman and his team at WIAA who see the benefits in bringing esports to their student-athletes and the value CSL Esports brings to their organization.”
In addition to establishing an esports infrastructure for WIAA, CSL Esports will broadcast up to three matches per week featuring WIAA student-athletes and their affiliated schools on Twitch. Additionally, CSL is set to debut three tournaments, Rocket League, Dota 2, and League of Legends, to WIAA students in July. These tournaments, which will also welcome students from Oregon and Nevada, will culminate on the digital stage at DreamHack Beyond on July 24.
This premier high school partnership marks an important growth step for Playfly Sports, which operates both CSL and nine state high school athletic associations. The union will serve as a model showcasing Playfly’s ability to create expanded and multi-tiered attractive packages to national and international sponsors looking to grow their revenue through both traditional sports and esports.
CSL Esports can leverage many of Playfly Sports’ assets to produce and sell around linear television programs that focus on esports and gaming, as well as create inventory in the traditional sports space and help esports brands and partners expand their reach. CSL Esports can also identify and secure enhanced revenue streams and opportunities for its business partners and esports teams, including naming rights for esports venues, and sponsorships for equipment, uniforms, and jerseys.
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Since 2009 CSL Esports has been North America’s largest collegiate esports business and has provided over $1 million in scholarships since. CSL Esports’ playoffs are underway featuring the top collegiate teams in six different games who are competing for a prize pool totaling over $60,000 in scholarships. The playoff format features the top 36 CS:GO teams, the best 9 Dota 2 teams, the top 39 Valorant teams, and 117 League of Legends teams, all in best-of-three series; the best 48 Rocket League teams in a best-of-seven series; and the top Street Fighter V players in a Top Eight single-elimination format.
CSL Esports is looking to partner with state and local high school districts, athletic and activities associations, departments of education, and parks & recreation in this new endeavor. Interested high school organizations should contact CSL Esports at [email protected].