Sunderland to host "multi-million" British Esports campus

Sunderland is set to become the UK “trailblazer” in esports following a multi-million-pound deal.

The British Esports Association (BEA) - the national body for esports - has announced it will open a performance and education campus at Riverside Sunderland. The campus will aim to nurture and support the next generation of talent, as interest and engagement in esports grows in the UK.

BEA has made a multi-million commitment to Sunderland, acquiring a former retail premises adjacent to the Stadium of Light, where it will establish its National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC). The move will initially create 20 jobs in the city, however, it is the wider benefits of esports that make this move hugely significant.

Esports - an abbreviation of electronic sports - refers to organised competitive video gaming, in which teams and individual players pit their skills against one another online, and often in front of large live audiences to win trophies and cash prizes, which can extend to millions of pounds.

Already a phenomenon in several territories around the world, with one in three people globally playing video games and over half a billion fans, esports is set to explode in popularity in the UK. Both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games are considering the inclusion of esports in future competitions.

The NEPC aims to be a centre of excellence, providing access to equipment, training and investment that will support Sunderland, the North East and the UK to become a globally-recognised esports hub capable of attracting and developing the world’s best esports talent.

The NEPC is set to open in the summer, with a full refurbishment and an extension planned to the current 11,000 sq ft space set to start this month. The NEPC will host regular esports events, community tournaments, summer camps and be used as a training base for the Great Britain esports team.

Chester King, chief executive officer at BEA, said: “The UK is Europe’s second biggest video game market and ranked sixth globally – this speaks to the potential of esports which will capitalise on gaming’s popularity, with talented competitors emerging and a growing audience keen to spectate and enjoy esports as a leisure activity.

“This is a market that we know will explode in the UK and we want to support its growth.

“Sunderland is a hugely ambitious and future-focused city and that aligns very much to BEA and esports, which has vast growth potential and ties into Sunderland’s strengths in gaming, digital and sport.”