York College Vikings conquer all-comers at national Esports event

The side of Jacob Sellars, Alex Donoghue and Giuseppe Gagliano-Fawcett, who are coached by fellow Level 3 Extended Diploma in Esports student Connor Chittock and managed by Course Leader Tyler Wilson, emerged triumphant in a pair of Rocket League tournaments at Bett 2024 – an educational technology conference held at ExCeL London.

After engaging in employer talks delivered by various industry leaders, including Esports figureheads such as Nik Turner and Nathan Edmonds, the team enrolled in their first Local Area Netwok (LAN) Rocket League tournament, which allows players to compete together wirelessly even if there is no internet connection or local WiFi available.

Undefeated in the competition, hosted by Esports Scotland and SCAN Computers, the Vikings won their two best-of-three-series fixtures against the David Beckham-backed Guild Esports College from Shoreditch in London and the Sunderland College Seers team.

Taking to the Main Stage for the second tournament, the Vikings faced off against Guild, the Seers and the Academy of Contemporary Music in a round-robin series.

Going on to make the grand final, the Vikings then overcame Guild again, winning 2-0 in another best-of-three-series contest.

Course Leader Tyler Wilson thanked the British Esports Federation and their Head of Operations and Co-Founder of Women in Esports Alice Leaman for organising the Main Stage Showcase Event and added: “What an amazing day for the team and we couldn’t have done it without the efforts of so many wonderful, talented and amazing industry veterans or the hard work of our colleagues and friends at British Esports and Bett.

“Equally, we must thank our department leaders Kyle Alexanders and Karen Goodman for being so supportive of us attending. This is an opportunity that neither me nor any of these students will soon forget.

“We intend to find unique ways to celebrate the four students who won and we cannot wait to share more about what we are planning.”

York College run a Level 2 Diploma and Level 3 Extended Diploma in Esports.

The courses are aimed at individuals who want to progress into employment in the Esports industry, possibly via an apprenticeship, or who may aspire to enter higher education.

With endorsement from the British Esports Federation, the qualification is deemed suitable for those who want to work in the industry and is recognised by employers.

It will support entry into the profession in a range of roles, including Esports Player, Team Coach, Events Organiser, Shoutcaster/Presenter, Social Media Influencer, Social Media Manager, Streamer, Video Production Editor, Photographer and Data Analyst.

Our Esports course can also provide a pathway into the following career industries: Cybersecurity, Software Development, Big Data and Analytics, Cloud Solutions, Network Engineering, Mobile Technologies, Digital Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, UI/UX Design, Network Management, Virtual Reality and Software Engineering.

For more information on our Esports Level 3 Extended Diploma course, please click here

For further details on our Esports Level 2 Diploma, please click here

To keep up to date with the York College Vikings Esports Team’s results and progress, give them a follow on their Twitter account @YCVikings

You can also learn more about our Esports courses at our next Open Event on Monday 5th February (5.30pm-8pm).

To resister a place visit here or, alternatively, you can register on the night.