(DANBURY, CT) With the addition of Seton Hall and Syracuse, The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) closed its fall registration on Monday with a record 57 ECAC Esports members signing up, more than doubling last year’s membership. ECAC Esports fall competition begins the week of September 30.
This year the ECAC is sponsoring competition in nine different esports games, with distinct seasons of competition in both the fall and the spring, and several in-person events, including the ECAC Esports Championships at HV Gamer Con in Albany in early April. ECAC Esports now boasts schools from 18 different states, and spans from Maine in the north to Louisiana in the south, and as far west as Texas. The ECAC anticipates further membership growth for its spring season.
“We’re thrilled with the continuing progress of ECAC Esports,” said Dan Coonan. “Our growth in just two and half years has been remarkable. We anticipate even bigger numbers for competition in our spring leagues. Our Esports Director, Lydia Fister, has done a spectacular job overseeing the logistics and managing the meteoric growth of this program.” added Coonan.
In addition to offering nine different games, the ECAC will sponsor women’s leagues in addition to its coed leagues to assist schools in offering opportunities for women and managing their esports rosters in an equitable manner. The ECAC will also sponsor alumni esports leagues for the first time this year. Additionally, at year’s end, the ECAC will crown its first ECAC Esports Grand Champion – an honor bestowed on the school that can boast the best across-the-board success in all games over the course of the year.
“We believe that joining the ECAC to compete in Esports is a perfect fit for our University,” said Saint Francis Esports Head Coach Luke Trotz. “With a large presence of traditional athletes here at Saint Francis, implementing this new team into intercollegiate competitions through an established and well-respected athletic conference was an easy decision for us. We are excited to be part of a traditional athletic conference structure that the ECAC is providing for the new emerging industry of esports.”
Ray Katz, Chief Operating Officer of Collegiate Sports Management Group which represents the ECAC for its commercial interests stated: “We look forward to capitalizing on this growth and working with our current partners as well as creating new relationships with endemic and non-endemic esports brands, as ECAC Esports and traditional sports platforms continue to expand and attract sponsors, both B to B and B to C.”
The 2019-20 academic year marks the 82nd season that the ECAC will be one of the pre-eminent governing bodies in college athletics, welcoming schools ranging from Power 5 conference members through those across Division I, Division II and Division III.
Registration for participation in spring competition in ECAC Esports will take place in November. For more information on participating in ECAC esports, please contact Lydia Fister at lfister@ecac.org. For more information on sponsorship and advertising opportunities, please contact Thomas O’Keefe at tokeefe@collegiatesmg.com.
ABOUT THE ECAC
The ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) is an eighty-two-year-old organization with well over 200 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions – I, II and III. The ECAC exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics and provides great value for universities and colleges by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the Northeast. The ECAC’s esports platform is continuing to expand the geographic footprint for the conference nationally. The ECAC is also sponsoring competitions and leagues involving other varsity and club sports that do not fall under the umbrella of the NCAA.
STAY CONNECTED
Stay updated on the latest news, championships and more by connecting with the ECAC on Facebook (ECACSports, ECACeSports), Twitter (@ECACSports, @ECAC_Esports) and Instagram (@ECACSports, @ECAC_Esports)