What started off as an experiment less than a couple of years ago to introduce high schools to scholastic esports has grown to an educational phenomenon. The North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) pioneered the growth of esports in high schools. 

After seeing our rapid growth, other organizations jumped in to capitalize on this exciting industry. It’s incredibly rewarding to see other high school esports leagues that have formed as a result of our groundwork. 

This begs the question, “Why should we choose NASEF over other esports leagues?” The great news is that you don’t have to make a choice; you have options when you’re a NASEF club. 

NASEF is a Non-Profit Organization that Charges Nothing

You’ve likely heard that “nothing in life is free,” but we beg to differ! 

NASEF is 100% free to join. We do not charge fees per student, there are no renewal costs, you name it - there’s no charge. Period. 

The fact that we are a non-profit organization is one of the major differences between NASEF and other leagues involved in high school esports. 

NASEF strives to give ALL students a safe and engaging space to connect, play, learn, and grow. Therefore, we charge students and schools nothing to participate. However, high schools are responsible for ensuring their students have the proper equipment and technology. In order to meet these demands, we have corporate partners who have generously provided discounts on equipment and peripherals to our clubs. 

NASEF is All About Education

We founded NASEF with the understanding that interest-driven learning is an effective way to help students grow. The feedback we’ve received from teachers, principals, and superintendents says: YES! 

By focusing on the opportunities in STEM careers, we’re showing students that the world of esports has unlimited possibilities. As with any sport, only a small fraction of esports athletes will become professionals. However, there are hundreds of career options that have opened up within the world of esports. NASEF strives to help students find their passion by leading with STEM education and an understanding of the whole esports ecosystem in our state-approved curriculum and club activities. 

NASEF Provides Free Coaching, Toolkits, and Workshops

Thanks to our partnership with Connected Camps, NASEF provides free coaching to our clubs. All our coaches have professional level expertise in esports, experience working with youth, and are carefully screened. Coaches will connect with their assigned teams regularly and will work collaboratively with club General Managers to create a training program that emphasizes teamwork, communication, sportsmanship, conflict resolution, and strategy. Teams that are not in NASEF would have to hire their own professional coaches at their hourly rate, but they are provided free to NASEF members. 

Our toolkits have been created for club General Managers by professionals within the fields of education, esports, performance and technology. They cover a variety of topics from Esports 101 to Setting Up Your IT.  

NASEF’s webinars are meant to help students learn more about the esports industry. We’ve covered topics such as:

• Healthy gaming habits
• Analyzing your game
• How to build a PC
• Shoutcasting
• Organizing a tournament

NASEF also organizes Beyond the Game™ Challenges, an opportunity for students to showcase a myriad of skills: writing, analytical, artistic, graphics, video production, and many more. Beyond the Game™ Challenges are focused on showing students the non-gaming aspects of the esports industry, while testing their creativity and skills. 

We provide an unparalleled level of support so that having a NASEF club is exciting, educational, and FUN! 

NASEF Provides Schools with Flexibility
 

Since some esports leagues charge per-season fees to participate, it locks you in to compete in the titles chosen for you. With NASEF, you’re not locked-in to an agreement that forces you into exclusivity. 

If you want your club to compete with NASEF in the Fall but want to play a different title in the Spring, you have that type of competitive flexibility. In fact, clubs don’t have to compete! Competition isn’t a requirement for club activation. 

If students choose to compete, we have several tournament options. Each season we partner with developers to offer free access to popular titles for a “premier” tournament, such as Overwatch and League of Legends. We’ve grown to the point that we now have competitive and community levels of play (similar to varsity and junior varsity, allowing newer players and clubs time to develop their skills). Additional Extra Credit tournaments bring variety to the games offered, and have included Hearthstone, Fortnite, Smash Ultimate, and Rocket League, to name a few. 

The atmosphere in the Arena is electric as students compete in in-person finals events that include different regions of North America competing for school pride and the title of National Champion. 

There is no national governing body like the NCAA for college esports or for high school esports. We partner with the University of California at Irvine and many other colleges to ensure that our program is top-notch and offers all the skills that colleges are looking for, whether the scholarship coordinators, esports team recruiters, or academic admissions offices. 

In fact, UC Irvine has one of the top esports programs in the country, and the director of that national championship program is also the Commissioner of NASEF. Working with NASEF provides the framework for your club to organize and the tools you need in order to succeed. 

NASEF is Your Free, Educational Option for Scholastic Esports

Is it a priority for your school or community-based organization to provide your students with a competitive esports environment that will give them an opportunity to game, grow, learn and lead? If so, take a closer look at all that NASEF provides. 

You’re not joining an esports league when you activate a NASEF club. You’re joining a federation of clubs that is committed to helping students become their best in and outside of the classroom.