Riot Oceania has partnered with the High School Esports League (HSEL), the University of Queensland (UQ), and the University of Queensland Union (UQU) to bring a League of Legends High School championship to students across Australia and New Zealand.
Tim Joyce, a co-founder of UQU Esports, spoke with Dot Esports about the importance of giving young people in Australia more opportunities to compete, “Students in high school well and truly deserve new and engaging extra-curriculars like esports. It hones their teamwork skills. It’s fantastic for introverted students who haven’t had opportunities like this before.
“It has never been more important to foster the next generation of gamers, we have more and more events to announce every couple of months and young people are the target audience,” Joyce said.
This isn’t the first year that Riot Oceania will be involved in High School esports. Last year the finals were won by Rangitoto College in New Zealand, and broadcast live from the ESL Studios in Sydney. In 2019, there is more at stake. The finals for the High School League Championships will be taking place from the Melbourne Esports Open, one of Australia’s most prestigious esports events.
In a post to the OCE forums, Chris Schubert, Esports Lead for Riot Games Oceania, said that Riot is incredibly excited about this partnership and looks forward to bringing the “ultimate competitive esports experience to high school students.” Schubert also believes that the championship is “Giving them a way to develop character, and proudly represent their school on the big stage. Our partners bring amazing passion, ideas, and support to help us provide opportunities for students across the region and we are excited to see the program continue to grow.”
As more support for grassroots esports is being developed by Riot Oceania, it is surely only a matter of time before other regions follow suit and scholarships become the norm. The High School League of Legends Championship will kick off in March. You can find more information about registration via the official High School Championship website. In the meantime, we suggest preparing your teachers and coaching them on the difference between ADC and Jungle.
