With the recent acquisition of Esports Scotland by David Hamilton which is now operating under the eRena sports brand. The expanded entity, which will operate under this has ambitions to build a significant presence in both grassroots and professional esports in Scotland and beyond. David, is renowned for his work with Ninja Kiwi and believes that eRena Sports is poised to emerge as the leading force in the Scotland esports industry, by forging strong ties with educational institutions and community outreach initiatives, alongside existing tournament activities and new advisory services to the sporting and corporate sectors.
They have also announced a collaboration with Dundee & Angus college with hopes to enhance the learning opportunities for esports students by integrating formal educational paths with practical industry exposure. The joint venture will involve the SEL Tournament series, with the dates for SEL6 to be revealed shortly. Operated by Dundee & Angus College on behalf of Esports Scotland, the SEL series will enable students to acquire modern industry skills, which will unlock a variety of career avenues.
Now just recently, this has come to fruition as the year two Esports Degree students have announced that they will be hosting a student-lead ‘SEL Invitational’ Tournament, which is starting this week! It will see teams competing over a variety of games, with the winning teams from their respective game will earn a guaranteed invite into SEL6! The format for this event will be ran in two phases:
The first phase will consist of the Online Play-Offs, taking place on the following dates:
- Oct 25th – League of Legends
- Nov 1st – Rocket League
- Nov 8th – Valorant
- Nov 15th – Overwatch 2
- Nov 22nd – Counter-Strike 2
The second phase which is focused on the LAN Finals, will take place at Dundee & Angus College. Where the top 4 teams from the Online Play-Offs will compete to earn the guaranteed spot in SEL6! More details will be announced soon, and they suggest that you join their Discord and follow their socials to stay up to date. Which can be found here: https://selinvitational.carrd.co/
This is extremely exciting news for esports in Scotland. The ecosystem is expanding and the driven interest from young people in high schools, colleges, and universities, alongside the emergence of players, teams and organisations across the country is helping with this. However, the industry still faces challenges in terms of infrastructure, rejection, and support at all levels. We hope that the recent development will help the industry grow to its potential.
