Mettlestate School Leagues announced

South African tournament organizer Mettlestate has announced the Mettlestate School Leagues, featuring a variety of esports titles for the youth of South Africa to compete in, dubbing it the ‘future of esports’. Here’s what you need to know.

Mettlestate School Leagues details

First and foremost, let’s take a look at what the announcement from Mettlestate had to say:

“Mettlestate is Africa’s largest esports partner and gaming content provider. We are forged by gamers, for gamers. We are known for organising some of the biggest esports events in South Africa, with prize pools that have reached up to hundreds of thousands of rands. We partner with various sponsors and brands to support esports in South Africa and provide opportunities for local gamers to compete at a high level. Mettlestate is seen as a key player in the development of esports in South Africa, helping to grow the local gaming industry and provide opportunities for South African gamers to compete and showcase their skills on an international stage.

Now it’s time to extend these opportunities to the youth of Mzansi. We want to create a sustainable league for high school kids to play and enjoy their favourite games in a competitive format. Esports is a joy for all those involved, and we would love to bring this experience to the learners of South Africa.”

That sounds fantastic! There will be two legs of the Mettlestate School Leagues each year. Registrations for the first leg events are now open, and you can register for free via the Mettlestate events page.

MSL esports titles:

• Valorant
• League of Legends
• Brawlhalla
• FIFA 23

Each of these titles has a prize pool of R10,000! This is, however, just open to high school students. They need to be currently residing in South Africa and attending high school. The high school must be registered with SASEA (South African School Esports Association).

Mettlestate’s aims with the School League are:

1. Grow & develop the esports industry in South Africa by nurturing and identifying young talent.
2. Provide a platform for learners to compete at a higher level of professionally organised tournaments within the largest tournament organiser’s ecosystem on the continent.
3. Create a pipeline for growing talent.
4. Promote esports as a legitimate and viable extra mural and career option.
5. Increase support for esports from the grassroots level.
6. Establish and engage with a new generation of esports competitors and supporters.

Following the registration period, Group Stages for each title begin on 17 April 2023, and playoffs begin on 15 May. The finals of each title will be played from 27 to 28 May 2023.

This is an excellent initiative, of course! We wish all the players and teams competing the best of luck and hope to see some new, fresh talent arise.

Header image via Mettlestate.