NPTC Group of Colleges Launches Esports Academy

The brand new Esports suite at Neath College was formally opened by  John Jackson (also known as Slayer) and Lois Samuel (also known as Kitsch), who were welcomed by the NPTC Group of Colleges.

In attendance were college staff and students, as well as the Mayor of Neath Port Talbot, Cllr. Robert Wood, the Mayoress Mrs Sylvia John, Esports Wales CEO John Jackson, and Esports Wales Female Ambassador Lois Samuel.

The Director of Studies for the School of Computing and Digital Technology, Eira Williams, expressed her delight at the establishment of an Esports academy and dedicated Esports suite at Neath College. The project was initiated in November 2021, with assistance from Extended Diploma in IT students from the outset.

She explains:

“Two students that were instrumental in developing this project were John Hughes and Logan Munday. They both put in a lot of work and were determined in their efforts to get the academy off the ground, along with two members of our fabulous Computing and Digital Technology teaching team, Chris Manley & Gwyn Perry, who developed and nurtured the project from its inception.”

John and Logan said they came up with the idea of an Esports academy after thinking it would be a great way to form a community and meet new people. The highlight for them so far is the first time they saw the suite with all the equipment in it and it has given them a sense of accomplishment. Both Morgan and John completed their studies at college last year but returned to see the results of their hard work and effort.

The college teams took part in their first Esports matches on the 26th of January 2022, with the NPTC Crimson Ravens team playing Overwatch and the NPTC Magic Missiles playing Rocket league.