Club vs. Team
If you are building a program for the first time, you may want to decide if your esports program will be a club or a team. A club has a loose structure and is more inclusive by allowing students in without trying out. A club also has more in-house tournaments. A team, on the other hand, would require tryouts, practices, and competitions against teams outside of the campus. You can also have both a club and a team and allow club members to try for a position on the competitive teams.
Build The Foundation
When planning your esports program, it is best to create your foundation first. This includes your mission, vision, and core values. These will set the guidelines for building your program.
Develop The Structure
Once the foundation is set, develop the structure of the club/team. Decide which roles will be included, which games will be played competitively, which competitions to join, and how you will fund the program. Keep in mind that this will be changing in the future due to changes in games, technology, funding, and trends.
Recruit
It's time to bring the students in! Create posters for the hallways and place ads on your school's daily announcements. Don't be afraid to reach out to your campus or district social media specialist to promote the esports program through social media channels.
Revisit
Once you feel comfortable with the way the group is running, work with students to revisit different roles that can be added, new competitions or leagues to join, new esports titles to play, or find better ways to fund your program. Esports is always growing and evolving, so plan to change with it!
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