With the start of the 2022 NLC 2nd Division upon us, behind the scenes the team at Nativz continues to build – this time we’re looking to the future with the appointment of Sam Douglas-Bate as Academy Director and the formation of our Nativz Advisory Board.
Douglas-Bate will head up the Nativz Academy, a vehicle designed to develop amateur talent, all the way from the sofa to the arena. Firmly rooted in our approach to innovation through technology, but learning from traditional setups in football and rugby.
Young gaming talent is everywhere but tends to go unfound in large numbers. Our intention is to provide a safe and supported route into esports for this talent – ultimately providing them with a pathway within Nativz.
Douglas-Bate said, “I’m excited for what’s coming. It’s right there in our name, we are Web3 natives and that’s certainly helped us build one of Europe’s fastest growing LoL teams. We are perfectly positioned to help all gamers build a career doing what they love and the Academy will be our starting point."
“The Nativz Academy will be a different beast. We’ll be breaking down barriers for talented players who have never had the chance - often those just gaming at home for fun. Hooking them up with the contacts, training, understanding and wider support they need to get into esports.”
With a clear focus and direction established, more information around how players can get involved and what that experience looks like will follow in the coming weeks. Activity will initially be focused on gamers in Ireland and the UK.
“To get someone of Sam’s calibre into Nativz Gaming with a clear remit for building our Academy programme is a great win for us. We're very mindful of the importance around safeguarding for young players, that's in any sport. This has been a clear priority from Sam since day one”, says Co-Founder & Managing Director Kurt Pittman.
“Esports teams are great at focusing their engagement at the gaming community and potential sponsors. However, this can creates a somewhat closed environment. We want to unlock things, open our doors for everyone - in this instance, it's for talent in a safe and managed way.”
In addition to Sam’s appointment, the Nativz Gaming Advisory Board was established in late December 2021. With a settled performance team in place, the priority in 2022 is to establish a strong commercial base from which we can scale up. This board has been formed specifically to provide support and guidance as Nativz Gaming prepares to grow.
Pittman goes on to say, “I’m equally excited about the interest we’ve had in establishing our advisory board, we’ve got a strong mix of people from the beginning. I’m looking forward to working with them to build this organisation out with a firm eye on continuing our growth in this exciting industry.”
