With winners already decided in Rocket League, FIFA 22 and Tekken 7, Jamaica’s first-ever national league for Esports – the JEI National Esports League (NEL) – is on in earnest as EAthletes face off in a six-month series of tournaments, with Mortal Kombat 11 battle set for today, May 15.
Esports is the competitive playing of video games, which are categorised as Esports disciplines.
Organised by the official local Esports governing body, Jamaica Esports Initiative (JEI), the Digicel-sponsored NEL got underway in April and is open to the public.
Competitors in the league can win cash prizes, and they have the opportunity to represent Jamaica internationally as a part of the national Esports team, the Dr. Birdz.
The NEL’s line-up of Esports disciplines – League of Legends, Tekken 7, FIFA 22, Valorant, Brawlhalla, PUBG Mobile, Rocket League, Mortal Kombat 11, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – opens up a wealth of opportunities for skilful players to showcase their prowess in the different video games, JEI said in a release.
According to JEI, it intends to use the national league to select members for Dr. Birdz, which has represented Jamaica at various tournaments, including the then-named Evolution Fighting Championship, the International Esports Federation Championship and the Global Esports Games.
“The JEI will be shortlisting the top players from qualifier games as members of the national squad, Dr. Birdz. They will be following a training regiment to prepare them for their respective disciplines. In some instances, we will hire international coaches to identify weaknesses and improve on them,” JEI President Gregory Moore said.
JEI Vice President, Andrew Johnson, also spoke about how the body is doing things differently with Esport events:
The league is member-focused, where members of the JEI are allowed to enter all tournaments in this league for free. Following the completion of a tournament, competitors can benefit from training programmes.
All of our JEI-affiliated tournament organisers were also included in the planning and execution process of the league. With innovation in mind, we enabled the registration process to be facilitated online, which is a first for any local Esports event.
Finally, in terms of staffing for the league, we identified talent from the local gamer pool and also provided training and guidance in areas such as shoutcasting, streaming and other Esports event management related roles.
JEI said the public can expect to see Esports around for many years to come, as the industry continues to bolster support from both commercial and national entities and JEI works to position Jamaica at the forefront of the international Esports arena.
Besides primary sponsor Digicel, the release said the league has also received support from Sportsmax, Primus Gaming, Domino’s Pizza, Guilded, Buzzers Game Arcade, Rocket Go-kart and Paintball Experience, Fresh Approach Supermarket, and LOL Snack Stop, to offer an overall prize pool of $1,000,000 as well as other prizes.
The JEI said it has also partnered with notable groups from the Esports and video gaming communities, such as Esports Jamaica, XPG Video Games, Fusion Core Gaming Lounge, Yawd Gaming, The Esports Store, and Virtual Reality Jamaica on the league.
You still have time to apply for your JEI Membership and register for upcoming tournaments. Visit the Jamaica Esports League website at https://jamaicaesportsleague.com to learn more.
