META High School Esports has landed two new sponsors for the competition, with Acer and Intel set to support the development league across the few years.
The ongoing sponsorship will help fund hardware peripherals for the league, along with securing venues, and enabling greater reach for the tournaments. It will also bring “new training camps,” with more details on the added ‘boot-camps’ coming in the near future.
META currently boasts more than 2,000 students across Australia and New Zealand, in titles like League of Legends, Rocket League, and popular basketball simulator NBA2K. These new sponsors bring META’s current backers up to three within the last month.
Intel and Acer have also proven they’re interested in the competitive gaming market in Oceania. This new partnership comes just weeks after Intel headlined the annual Intel Extreme Masters competition hosted in Sydney, while Acer are an ongoing League of Legends Championship Series sponsor for the North American competition.
Adelaide Football Club’s chief operating officer Nigel Smart, who oversees the META High School League, explained that the partnership will have far reaching benefits to keeping students “engaged,” as well as potentially “increase attendance” for the events.
“This sponsorship means we can deliver a great tournament experience to the students in our program and provide them an invaluable opportunity to engage with esports,” Smart said.
“Our students are so passionate about gaming, and if we can help them share that with their peers and a wider audience, we can drive greater engagement in the school system. It doesn’t just help skills like communication and teamwork, it also helps with school attendance and gives them a space to learn and feel welcome.”
META High School Esports welcomes @Acer and @intel as sponsors of its nationwide esports league for high school students. #METAhse
— META High School Esports (@METAhse) June 12, 2019
➡️ Read: https://t.co/javtTPyUjW pic.twitter.com/szaP4ufzog
Acer Computer Australia’s managing director Darren Simmons echoed Smart’s sentiments, and agreed that competitive gaming tournaments can keep students engaged in learning, and finding creative new ways to excel.
“We have seen the many results from incorporating gamification into educational learning activities with our own initiatives. It provides a layer of fun and enjoyment with is extremely helpful with transforming students attitudes and experiences towards learning,” Simmons said.
“For example, games like League of Legends focus on the concept of teamwork and cooperation, which develops a collective responsibility with players to not let down their team. This translates into everyday life and learning with group work, team sports and working collaboratively with colleagues.
“Initiatives like META provides students the opportunity to become part of something bigger and share their love for gaming with like-minded peers. We’re excited to be part of that, and to help students across Australia and New Zealand find and harness their passion for games.”
If you are interested in participating in the META High School Esports competition through your school, express your interest on the META website.
