The Manchester Esports Academy (MEA) has collaborated with Manchester City’s official charity, City in the Community (CITC), for a six-week pilot scheme.
It aims to uncover the next generation of esport stars and encourage further interest into the sector.
Established by IN4 Group’s Gametech division, the Manchester Esports Academy says it’s a first-of-its-kind, junior professional esports education and skills programme for young people in Greater Manchester from the ages of 8 to 16, giving them access to games industry career opportunities.
The collaboration with City in the Community, which starts this weekend (Saturday September 23rd), will provide training and skills coaching in esports for 20 young people working with the charity, the majority of whom are either young carers or from low-income backgrounds across Greater Manchester. It will also work to educate parents on the career pathways available.
The course will be delivered by Esports Coaching Academy certified coaches on technology at the group’s Gametech campus at Host, the Home of Skills & Technology, in MediaCity.
In addition to the Manchester Esports Academy, IN4’s Gametech campus also operates Gametech365, which aims to nurture start-up video game studios.
Manchester City’s esports team consists of pro esports players and content creators who represent Manchester City on Fortnite and EA Sports FC 24. The club also works with esports content creators Kacee and FG.
“We want to encourage participants from low-income backgrounds who may not believe they have the access or opportunities in tech to know they can have exciting and wide-ranging careers, whether that be starting their own video game studios or becoming a professional esports competitor.”
Abdiqani Ahmed, Manchester Esports Academy
Once officially launched to the public following the Pilot, the Manchester Esports Academy will be available for parents to register through a monthly subscription.
However, it will be fully subsidised for young people in Greater Manchester from disadvantaged backgrounds and those presently being supported by Children in Need.
The news comes a couple of weeks after Man City released their UK FIFA players Ryan Pessoa and Shellzz.
Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group, said: “The video game and esports industry is exploding on a global scale and the career opportunities in esports are immense. We believe young people from all backgrounds should have fair access to technology futures and we want children and teenagers in Greater Manchester to know that they too can be a part of this fast-growing, multi-billion pound industry.
“This pilot with City in the Community is just the start of our work in achieving this and we’re extremely pleased to be partnering with the charity.”
Sam Dainty, Head of Partnerships and Fundraising at Manchester City’s City in the Community charity, added: “We are pleased to be taking our first step into esports as a charity by offering this pilot scheme to our young participants. City in the Community exists to empower healthier lives through football, which includes building education and employability pathways for city youth through our Healthy Futures programmes.
“I know this ethos also rings true for the Manchester Esports Academy, and we are looking forward to seeing how this collaborative project can create new opportunities and skills for our participants.”
Head of Esports at IN4 Group, Abdiqani Ahmed, the founder of UK esports organisation Lionscreed, and now programme lead for the new Manchester Esports Academy, said: “Manchester Esports Academy offers a unique approach by blending professional coaching and soft skills development. With a focus on health and nutrition, the academy also offers a holistic educational experience like no other and goes beyond traditional classroom-style training.”
“We want to encourage participants from low-income backgrounds who may not believe they have the access or opportunities in tech to know they can have exciting and wide-ranging careers, whether that be starting their own video game studios or becoming a professional esports competitor.
“We believe the Manchester Esports Academy will build this confidence by igniting their creativity and entrepreneurialism, fostering a vibrant community of passionate young entrepreneurs ready to take on the world of gaming and esports.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
