PHILADELPHIA – The West Coast Conference (WCC) and CSL Esports, a Playfly Sports company, have entered into a partnership to establish competitive opportunities for students across member campuses. The WCC continues to expand its presence in esports and this partnership provides holistic educational opportunities for students with competition, developmental programing, career planning and community engagement.
 
“There is tremendous global interest in esports, as many of our member institutions have invested in the development or the expansion of programs on campus,” said WCC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “With the support of the WCC Presidents’ Council, the Conference continues to focus on esports and provide opportunities for our membership to showcase their programs in a new competitive arena. We are excited to partner with CSL Esports as we expand our esports presence. We value this opportunity and look forward to working with an industry leader in this collaborative partnership.”
 
Along with the WCC, CSL Esports partnered with the America East Conference and U SPORTS, the national brand of collegiate sports in Canada. As part of the new alignments, CSL Esports will help establish competitive esports infrastructures for each of the properties. All three will participate within NACE Starleague, the largest collegiate esports ecosystem in North America with more than 14,500 students from 600 colleges and universities
 
“CSL Esports is incredibly proud to be partnering with these three traditional collegiate sports properties, WCC, AEC and U SPORTS” said Rob Johnson, CEO, CSL Esports. “It is our mission at CSL Esports to create sustainable esports programs at colleges and universities everywhere. By partnering with these three entities, we will now be delivering formalized esports competition to thousands of new students, giving them an opportunity to play and meaningfully compete at the same level as their other fellow student-athletes.”
 
CSL Esports will help each of the three entities develop the critical components to formalize esports competition, including the forming of teams, leagues and schedules, as well as the creation of in-person and virtual events. CSL Esports will also assist all member institutions with the growth and expansion of their respective esports programs and in the areas of esports curriculum, career pathways and community engagement.
“We are excited to form this unique partnership with CSL Esports and launch an initiative that is the first of its kind in our history,” said Dick White, U SPORTS Interim CEO. “U SPORTS Gaming will expand the programming offered by our members beyond traditional sports competition, while also creating additional opportunities for engagement on campus beyond our 14,000 student-athletes in a rapidly-growing and cutting-edge industry.” 
NACE Starleague operations will begin this fall and host multiple tiers of skill levels to be inclusive of all collegiate programs from student-run club to school-sanctioned programs with registration opening today. NACE will help oversee match rules in compliance with game publishers, student-athlete verification, recruitment best practices, and varsity team development.
 
CSL Esports is supported by sponsorship and media through Playfly Sports, the emerging leader in college multimedia rights and sports advertising sales. As Playfly Sports continues its growth, CSL Esports stands as one of Playfly’s key focuses and divisions. With a reimagined look at the sports industry, Playfly continues to invest in esports as one of the next frontiers within the sports ecosystem in the hopes of bringing together its touch points across all levels of sport fandom and elevate the business of esports.
 
About the West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics with 15 conference-sponsored sports. The WCC is characterized by the stability of its membership and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics. For more information, visit WCCsports.com and follow the West Coast Conference on Twitter @WCCsports.
 
About CSL Esports
CSL Esports provides turnkey solutions for schools and students to compete and learn valuable skills in the rapidly expanding esports industry. Since 2009 CSL Esports has been the operator of North America’s largest collegiate esports business and has provided over $1 million in direct scholarships.  CSL Esports works with scholastic partners at all levels including colleges & universities, state and local high school districts, athletic and activities associations, departments of education, and parks & recreation in this new endeavor. www.cslesports.com
 
About Playfly Sports
Playfly Sports is the full-service, leading sports marketing and media company that enables brands to engage with sports fans on a local, regional, and national level through scaled linear, digital, and experiential assets. Playfly Sports drives outcome-based solutions into 90-million households via more than 7,800 live U.S. broadcasts of MLB, NBA, and NHL games; and influences sports fans of all ages through the management of high school and college multimedia rights, uniform branding, and high-profile sports sponsorship platforms. The company introduces high school and college students to career development opportunities in esports through CSL Esports, operators of North America's largest college esports league. Playfly Sports has the unique ability to partner, innovate, and advance the aspirations of athletes, brands, academic institutions, and sports fans across the U.S. Playfly Sports is Powered by Partnership. Visit Playfly Sports online at playfly.com and follow Playfly Sports on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook: @PlayflySports.