In news that will make RyanCentral happy, Yorkshire is doing well in the collegiate esports space. Students from Barnsley College in South Yorkshire, and York College in North Yorkshire, emerged as the winners of the Esports @ Bett Student Championships.
This took place at the Bett UK 2024 edtech conference in London recently, where brands like Acer presented their latest innovations and gave talks at the Bett show esports arena.
The students showed off their competitive gaming abilities in live Rocket League tournaments, ultimately winning against educational institutions from across the UK to become this year’s Esports @ Bett Student Champions.
Bett UK took place at London’s ExCeL Centre from January 24th to 26th 2024, and brought together 30,000 stakeholders.
The Esports @ Bett Student Championships was a highlight of the Esports @ Bett theatre – a space dedicated to the industry and hosted in association with the British Esports Federation.
It aimed to highlight the potential of esports in driving student engagement, supporting accessibility and inclusion in classrooms, and nurturing soft skills and interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers.
In the tournament sponsored by Dell Technologies, Intel, and Alienware, Barnsley College won against student teams from Wilmington Academy in Kent, Belfast Metropolitan College, and Dearne Valley College in Rotherham.
York College saw off their competition from Guild College and the Academy of Contemporary Music, both in London, and Sunderland College in a tournament sponsored by Acer and Planet 9.
The teams comprised three students aged 14-18 years old.
Yorkshire has been in the gaming news elsewhere recently, with the actor who plays Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, Samantha Béart, set to make special appearance at the Yorkshire Games Festival 2024.
Emma Vandore, Head of Content at Bett, said: “Well done to all the teams that took part in our Esports @ Bett Student Championships, but a special congratulations to the Barnsley College and York College students on becoming Bett UK’s 2024 Esports Champions!
“The competition is a major highlight of Esports @ Bett, and a fantastic opportunity for education leaders to see first-hand the far-reaching benefits of gaming for students. Bett UK is proud to be supporting the expansion of this innovative industry in the education sector, as well as showcasing the best of the UK’s young gaming talent.”
Chester King, President at the British Esports Federation, said: “All the teams at this year’s Esports @ Bett Student Championships put on a spectacular performance. They are representative of how education and esports can be brought together to promote inclusivity in the classroom, to develop skills like teamwork and problem-solving, and to encourage interest in creative, digital, and STEM industries.
“As part of British Esports’ vision to develop the next generation of young gamers, last year we launched our National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland – complete with cutting-edge classrooms, training facilities, gaming houses, and arena. This is a major step in boosting the UK’s esports scene.”
“It is great to see Yorkshire student teams competing heavily in a variety of championships. Being a pioneering esports department and trailblazer for the rest of the country, we take great pride in our students and the opportunities they are afforded.”
Thomas Bridges, Barnsley College
Ken Merry, Acting Principle and CEO at York College, added: “We were very pleased to learn of our esports team’s victories at the Bett UK 2024 Show. It was a brilliant opportunity for our students to demonstrate their Rocket League talents, building on their second-placed standing at the midway point of the British Esports Student Champs season.
“York College is proud to run a Level 2 Diploma and Level 3 Extended Diploma in Esports and recognise how the industry continues to grow with the potential for those on the course to progress into an apprenticeship, higher education, or on to a multitude of career pathways.”
Thomas Bridges, Head of Department at Barnsley College, commented: “Barnsley College are proud to have been involved in Bett UK 2024 where our esports students have led the way in insightful workshops, networking sessions, and leading discussions with industry professionals. At the event, the College’s Barnsley Griffins esports team won the British Esports Rocket League 3×3 tournament and Dell’s females Rocket League competition, which provided the perfect opportunity for students to play live and showcase their talents.
“Students also had the opportunity to gain real-life experience in shoutcasting. We at Barnsley College have a strong focus on industry experience and skill development that is implemented through our fantastic programme.
“It is great to see Yorkshire student teams competing heavily in a variety of championships. Being a pioneering esports department and trailblazer for the rest of the country, we take great pride in our students and the opportunities they are afforded.”
Elsewhere at Bett 2024, various execs in esports gave talks and hosted panels, and wellness tech non-profit, ESG, which uses VR and esports to help people with dementia and social isolation, won a Bett show kids award for best stand and product.
Lee Willows, James Fraser-Murison, Nathan Edmonds and Sevag Chamelian received the award from Michael Rosen on stage.
In April 2020, the British Esports Federation partnered with Pearson to introduce the Esports BTEC qualification. It has since launched a suite of Higher Nationals (Level 4 and Level 5) with Pearson, developed Esports Degrees with the College of Esports, and this year launched the Level 1 and Level 2 Esports Leadership qualifications with the Leadership Skills Foundation.
It’s not the first time Yorkshire has been in the games news. Yorkshire Tea game controllers launched a few months ago, after Yorkshire Tea partnered with Insomnia Gaming Festival.
Two years ago, Barnsley College launched an esports coaching, health and wellbeing degree.
And in late 2022, Layton Ripley from Barnsley College was recognised as the Esports Learner of the Year 2022 at the 2022 BTEC Awards, while former Curriculum Lead and current Governor at Barnsley College, and current British Esports head of education, Kalam Neale, won Gold at the Pearson National Teaching Awards for Digital Innovator of the Year.
Just yesterday, Barnsley College and Grassroots Sports Academy Yorkshire held a GSA Esports Community Day for gamers to drop into the Barnsley Metrodome for gaming, live esports tournaments, VR, AR, live-action experiences, plus gaming and tech innovations.
To find out more about Esports @ Bett visit uk.bettshow.com/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.
