MORROW, Ga. – Clayton State joins one of the fastest growing movements in college athletics with the official announcement of the addition of an Esports program that will compete in the Peach Belt Conference and League of Legends beginning in the upcoming 2019-20 campaign.
 
Housed under the University's Division of Student Affairs and Vice President Dr. Shakeer A. Abdullah, Esports will have a presence on www.ClaytonStateSports.com that will enhance the endeavors of the student-athletes that will comprise the initial team. That roster is poised to compete in the first NCAA Division II conference to offer Esports as a league championship and one that continues to grow.
 
Riding the wave of a boom that started in 2013 and saw the first varsity collegiate Esports program at Robert Morris the following year, the PBC broke new ground in offering that league championship beginning with the 2017-18 season. Over the course of its first two seasons the league has had 10 of its 12 teams compete and has added associate members in Alma College (Mich.), Coker, Hawaii-Pacific and Montevallo.
 
Currently there are nearly 200 college programs offering Esports and the allure continues to grow with coverage by major media outlets such as ESPN, which launched the first ever Collegiate Esports Championship this past May.
 
While a discipline currently in its infancy and operating outside of NCAA regulation, Laker Esport student-athletes will be held to the same standards as those competing in the traditional offerings at Clayton State. Individuals need to be enrolled as full-time students in good academic standing and at least 17 years of age as of January 1, 2020 in order to compete.
 
In a unique aspect of the offering, student-athletes will have a great deal of flexibility to be part of the newest program at Clayton State. With the online nature of Esports, individuals can play or practice from their own space or choose to do so together.
 
In terms of against who and when the Lakers will compete, a full PBC schedule will provide much of that structure. Currently running from January through April, including the league championship, that slate will include matchups with the four associate members as well as the primary league members consisting of Augusta, Columbus State, Flagler, Georgia College, Georgia Southwestern, Lander, UNC Pembroke, North Georgia, USC Aiken and Young Harris.
 
A complete schedule will be available later this year as the team enters its inaugural competitive season in the Spring of 2020. Additional details such as a roster with full bios and imagery as well as links to key sites will also be available as the team is recruited.
 
That group will be under the direction of a group of individuals dedicated both to the success of Esports at Clayton State as well as the students that take part in it and will include Associate Director of Recreation & Wellness Spenser Emerson and head coach Bobby Fiely.
 
"We are looking forward to fielding our first competitive Esports team at Clayton State," said Abdullah. "We're excited about all the possibilities this team will bring to campus!"
 
More to the point about what this means for the campus, Emerson put it rather directly.
 
"Clayton State is ready to join the Esports World!"
 
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Individuals meeting the requirements and wishing to get involved in Clayton State Esports League of Legends should contact Spencer Emerson at the Department of Recreation and Wellness. He can be reached via e-mail (SpenserEmerson@Clayton.edu) and phone (678-466-4974).
 
ABOUT LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
Launched in 2009, League of Legends is currently played by over 100 million people every month, making it the most played game in the world. A multi-player online battle arena, the game is the world leader in the Esports arena with over 1,700 tournaments annually.