This week a brand new official body for university esports was revealed at an event for student societies in London, and this body (called NSE; National Student Esports), was created by Benchmark and is supported by the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), the governing body for university sport in the UK.
NSE's goals are to raise the profile of university esports and create the best university esports experience not just in the UK but worldwide. They also hope to bring the higher education sector together with the esports industry alongside the BUCS, so that both can recognise the talent of students in esports.
Plans will get underway in the next academic year - 2018/19 - with the official university esports championships starting in October this year; one of the first university tournaments backed by a governing body. What's more is that the NSE will also be helping support university societies, as well as providing a digital community platform as well.
"The passion and commitment of the university esports community is outstanding and we believe it deserves further recognition and support," said Vince Mayne, Chief Executive Officer of British Universities & Colleges Sport. "Our experience stems from university sport and we are aware that esports does not need to be defined in this way. This is why we've partnered with experts in their field and why NSE will exist as a separate entity. It's important that the community is listened to and that we provide a platform to unite and support students around the UK like never before."
For more on NSE, check out their official website.