Grassroots esports project and free online course launched

Esports is rapidly booming as a recreational and competitive sport, attracting more and more participants at the grassroots level. To maintain pace with this trend, the International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) and partners have launched the European Grassroots Esports Project, an Erasmus+ project funded by the European Union.

The mission of this two-year project is to help community organisations overcome stereotypes about gaming and esports, and to include young gamers in grassroots sport’s value-based, social structure.

Project objectives

• To promote the sport values of health, inclusion, respect and responsibility by developing and scaling grassroots esports clubs as a concept and model across Europe
• To prepare the foundation for implementing grassroots esports in clubs
• To enhance awareness of the individual and social benefits of responsible esports practice
• To build clubs’ capacities to deliver grassroots esports activities
• To evaluate the process and learn from it!

To help guide sports clubs in establishing healthy, value-based esports activities in their clubs, this project will map stakeholders, best practices and potential models that can get them started. Given that the project also aims to enhance awareness of the individual and social benefits of responsible, value-based esports, the project partners will produce 10 opinion pieces and a curated conversation to initiate exchange and open debate on the key benefits and challenges of grassroots esports.

Join the online course

ISCA and the partners have launched a free 90-minute online course that will help you:

• Understand and explain what esports and, in particular, grassroots esports is (Bust the myths)
• Scan your environment and spot favourable conditions to set up a new grassroots esports initiative (Set it up)
• Design a plan to deliver grassroots esports activities for a range of different target groups (Implement)
  
  Join the course for free today

The six project partners aim to build local clubs’ capacities to deliver grassroots esports activities through an online learning course and three national pilot actions that will develop grassroots esports clubs on the basis of the project’s findings. The partners will also deliver four national seminars on value-based grassroots esports as well as an international dissemination conference together with ISCA.