Esports League Launches at Fareham Academy

Fareham Academy recently hosted its first-ever Esports League, bringing together eight mixed teams of students from Years 7 to 10 for an exciting day of competitive gaming and digital creativity.

With the generous support of our Medhurst IT Team, who provided high-spec gaming PCs and hardware, students competed in a fast-paced game that combines football with rocket-powered cars called Rocket League. Gameplay was projected onto the Main Hall screen so that those who weren't currently competing could spectate.

Before the matches began, students explored the world of Esports, learning about potential career and education pathways, and brainstorming team names, logos, and sponsorship strategies. They also considered how they could gain sponsorship for their teams in a highly competitive global market, and what actions or strategies they could use to raise money to fund team play, merchandising, and tournament games in the future.

The competition kicked off with Left Down to Luck vs. The Wardens, with The Wardens narrowly taking the win 2-1. This set the level of excitement and determination for the day, with novice and expert gamers alike combining strategies and communicating on how they could beat the opposing teams.

Some great gameplay was shown by SSL against Fishy Dishy, with Samuel G managing to score a hat-trick of goals for the team, but SSL's skills weren't enough to beat The Wardens in the semi-finals after a disappointing 7-0 defeat. RL Chicken Nuggets played incredibly in their game against the Technicians with a 6-2 win, motivating them for the next round.

Team NRG Stre4ts had to make a dramatic last-minute sub, but RL Chicken Nuggets' winning streak couldn't hold out and they suffered a 3-1 defeat, leading NRG Stre4ts to the Gold League Final against The Wardens.

The Gold League Final saw NRG Stre4ts face off against The Wardens. Despite a controller malfunction and a passionate crowd chanting “NRG! NRG!”, The Wardens held their ground to become the first-ever Gold League Champions!

Meanwhile, Left Down to Luck made a stunning comeback in the Silver League, defeating Fishy Dishy 8-0 and Golden Shooters 9-0 to claim the Silver title.

As trophies and certificates were awarded, students were already buzzing with ideas for the next tournament, and asking when the re-match tournaments would happen.

Throughout the event, students embodied our Academy values:

• Resilience in the face of defeat

• Aspiration in the face of challenge

• Kindness in their sportsmanship and team spirit.

On the back of the success of this event, we'd like to ask if anyone has any old Xbox or PlayStation controllers that they are planning on parting with to please consider our Esports Club (Tuesdays after school) who would be incredibly grateful to receive them. Your support would help us grow this exciting new opportunity for our students.