St. Clair College is becoming the first post-secondary school in Canada to support its own eSports team.
Saints eSports Coordinator Shaun Byrne says it's going to be run similar to other varsity teams at the school, with tryouts starting this June.
"Before long, we're going to have people leaving high school, and rather than going for sports scholarships, they're going to be getting eSports scholarships," he explains. "And eventually that college [eSports] career is going to turn into a professional career."
Bryne says the entire program will be run with the help of $250,000 from the school.
That money will go towards putting on large-scale competitions, such as Saints Gaming Live this June 10 and 11, which is expected to attract 2,000 people. It'll also allow the team to compete in the Collegiate Star League out of the US, and in other competitions domestically and internationally. In addition, Byrne is hoping to develop a scholarship program for the team, and run intramural competitions at St. Clair College.
The eSports coordinator thinks this program will definitely attract new faces to Southwestern Ontario.
"I've already had interest from students who were planning to attend college in Toronto," says Byrne. "And now they're thinking, 'Well, St. Clair College is probably a better option for me, with this new program.'"
After a decade of putting on LAN events in Windsor, Byrne believes this is a major step in bringing eSports into the mainstream, and he's looking forward to making it a success at the college.