British Esports Association


The British Esports Association is a national body for esports in the United Kingdom. After receiving authority from the UK Government, it was established in March 2016 to help develop the UK's grassroots esports scene and provide an infrastructure to nurture future talent.

Organization

The association's chair is Andy Payne OBE, who has worked for the Mastertronic software publishing group, AppyNation, Just Flight and is a board member of UKIE, the trade body for the UK games industry. Former Minister and MP Ed Vaizey joined the association as vice chair in October 2017. Andy Miah joined as advisory board member in November 2019.

Goals

The association's three goals are to promote esports in the UK and increase its level of awareness, improve the standard of UK esports and inspire future talent

Announcements

In April 2017, British Esports announced its first game advisers, who provide input and expertise to make sure the association can support and understand each game's community effectively.
The Association held an after-school esports club pilot scheme for school children at Maida Vale Library in summer 2017.

Collaborations

British Esports has joined Ukie, the Creative Industries Federation and the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
In September 2018, British Esports teamed up with West Ham United Foundation, London Sport, Archery GB and GAME to host an activity week merging esports with sport, including football, archery and Rocket League.

Events

In early 2018, the inaugural British Esports Championships were announced. The pilot Championships for schools and colleges ran from February to April 2018and the first full Championships ran from October 2018, in partnership with Twitch Student and AoC Colleges Sport, concluding with finals at the Insomnia Gaming Festival in 2019.