It is crucial to identify and nurture talent as early as possible, as this not only helps to hone individual skills, but also strengthens the entire esports ecosystem through the discovery and development of new talent.
In this respect, North Rhine-Westphalia is taking on a lot of responsibility as a pioneer and, with the EsportsAcademyNRW, initiated in November 2022, has created a unique platform to sustainably support promising players from the League of Legends, Brawl Stars and EA FC titles. Lighthouse projects like this allow us to fulfill our social responsibility and create a solid foundation for the long-term success of talented players.
The doors for applications for the Esports Academy NRW are now open again before the best 50 talents are invited to the selection camp at XPERION Germany in Cologne at the end of January. The most talented 30 will then be supported by us for at least one year.
The success of the first Academy generation speaks for itself and underlines the effectiveness of this program. Several talents are under contract with teams in the VBL or with professional teams in the Strauss Prime League. Luca Weber, the youngest VBL professional, and Nick Celombitko, Portuguese champion in League of Legends, serve as prime examples of the impressive developments that are possible in a short space of time.