The UK’s national body for esports will open a performance and education campus at Riverside Sunderland to nurture and support the next generation of talent, it has been announced.
The British Esports Association (BEA) has acquired a former retail development near the Stadium of Light in the city’s new urban quarter, making a multi-million-pound investment in Sunderland.
There, it will establish the National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC), which is intended to provide access to state-of-the-art equipment, training and investment.
It will feature esports classrooms, performance rooms, streaming booths and an arena space, along with hosting regular esports events like tournaments and summer camps. The NEPC will also become the training base of the Great Britain esports team.
The BEA claims this development will support Sunderland, the North East the UK in becoming a globally recognised hub for esports.
Chester King, CEO of the BEA, said: “Sunderland is a hugely ambitious and future-focused city and that aligns very much to BEA and esports, which has vast growth potential and ties into Sunderland’s strengths in gaming, digital and sport.
“The campus will be an inspirational site, a place for players and coaches to work, learn and develop. This is a much-needed facility and through my team’s experiences we understand its importance.”
Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, added: “Esports has been a phenomenal global success, and it is a huge growth market in the UK, that will be realised over the coming years. BEA’s move puts Sunderland at the beating heart of that, and we couldn’t be more pleased.”
