Coleg Cambria Deeside opens new £230,000 esports facility

A college in North Wales, Coleg Cambria Deeside, has opened a new £230,000 esports arena for students.

The space has been optimised with two separate desk designs, complete with LED edge lighting and PC locking shelves, with a divider which can split the facility into two to allow separate gaming competitions, lectures and workshops.

The PCs at Coleg Cambria Deeside have been paired with MSI pro gaming peripherals to help learners compete, alongside AOC 27” 165Hz gaming monitors.

Lisa Radcliffe, Assistant Principal for Technical Studies, said the facility has state-of-the-art equipment and technology – including 36 Yoyotech high-spec stations featuring the latest I7 Intel processors and RTX4070 graphics cards – to ‘secure Cambria’s position as a pioneer of esports education in the UK’.

“Our aim at Deeside was to create a gaming hub and centre of excellence for our current and prospective students,” Lisa said.

“Alongside this, the development will support the strategic aims of the college by widening access and becoming fully inclusive, helping to increase participation for learners that may feel disengaged or at risk of being NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training).

“This will all enhance our course programme with leading external stakeholders, creating and contributing to our local community.”

The college’s own esports squad – Cambria Chimeras – were victorious in the Apex Legends Spring Cup earlier this year, defeating opposition from across the country, including college and university teams.

Coleg Cambria Deeside’s esports facility is one of several in the UK. A month ago, the University of Salford opened a new esports lab.

Lecturer Lauren Crofts added: “The esports course has been hugely popular over the last few years and grant investment has seen the introduction of the two new gaming arenas, one of which will be a sim racing performance area.

“The other gives us more room to look at shoutcasting live media streaming, to develop other skills and game creation, utilising the space and introducing state-of-the-art technology, as well as taking esports into local primary and secondary schools to explain the wide range of careers out there in this industry.

“It is an incredible set-up, one our existing students will love, and definitely a USP for those looking to join us in the years ahead.”

A Yoyotech spokesperson also commented: “After first meeting with Lisa, her passion and drive to enhance the learners experience at college was infectious. Together we identified an opportunity to build upon and grow their existing esports provision to accommodate their expanding course programme.”

For more information on Esports at Coleg Cambria, you can visit www.cambria.ac.uk

Dom Sacco

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.