The Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (CECC), a collegiate esports event for the North American market has announced the upcoming East Regional tournament will take place in Foxborough, MA.
The event will be supported by the US Army and the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) as presenting sponsors and will take place from October 27th-29th.
The Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup is an esports competition organised by the Collegiate Sports Management Group. The event itself is a major North American collegiate esports events, with more than 300 teams competing in Rocket League, VALORANT, Overwatch and Super Smash Bros.
Before the main event, set to take place in May 2024, several regionals will be held across the United States, with the East Regional being played by teams from the eastern part of the United States and Canada. Canadian provinces Ontario and Quebec as well as the US states of Pennsylvania, New York and other adjacent states will be included in the East Regional.
The East Regional tournament will see the US Army and the Army ROTC as the headline partners. During the event, the US Army and ROTC will be prominently highlighted and presented to visiting students. In addition, an on-site booth is planned with gaming activations as well as a virtual recruiter series where Army and ROTC members will be interviewed.
The ROTC is a military education programme run by colleges and universities that trains students to become officers in the United States armed forces.
Several branches of the US Military have partnered with esports organisations in the past, with Complexity’s sponsorship with the US Army perhaps being the most notable.
In addition, the US Army National Guard is partnered with KC Pioneers, and the US Army West Point works with Beasley Esports. However, some commentators criticised US military branch sponsorships in esports.
Angela Bernhard Thomas, Chief Esports Officer for CSMG/ESPORTSU, commented: “With the road to CECC in full effect, we’re very excited to host the future of esports and the strength of the industry.
“Since we’re playing right next to one of the greatest franchises in sports, we can’t wait to see who emerges as a powerhouse esports program in their own right at this year’s East Region Qualifier!”
