The European Grassroots Esports project has gathered a unique consortium of professionals with a view to ensuring diversity and complementarity, especially in terms of their organisation type, scope, geographical distribution, expertise and experience in esports. So it’s natural that the first task of this project is to map all of the different types of stakeholders that are involved in esports at the grassroots level – and publish that mapping exercise for anyone who want to learn about this often misunderstood sector.

With the aim to enable local sport clubs and schools to reach young esports practitioners and gamers and include them in value-driven communities that provide them a chance to meet, play, socialise, share their passion, and learn how to lead a balanced and physically active lifestyle, the European Grassroots Esports project partners have published their first hands-on document, the ‘Mapping of stakeholders, practices and models of grassroots esports’. 

The document aims to provide a clear picture of the framework of grassroots esports, deliberating the definitions and the build-up of the sector, expounding from the different values and approaches to the cross-sector initiatives and volunteer-based school activities that play a crucial role in defining grassroots esports. The project partners put emphasis on the discussion among various stakeholders in esports and provide an overview of the different roles that they play in the esports industry, as well as their relevance and impact from a grassroots perspective. All whilst exploring the existing research in the field, which has not yet created a clear picture of the grassroots aspect of esports and is still a relatively new phenomenon that is especially unique to the Nordic and EU countries.

After completing their thorough desk research on existing resources, strategies and initiatives, as well as scientific publications and grey literature in the field, the project partners consider grassroots sport as a “third way” between commercialised esports and individualised gaming culture, promoting values and social responsibility. Being participant-oriented, value-based, non-profit and centred on fostering an inclusive and safe environment for aspiring players to engage in esports and gaming activities, grassroots esports are driven partly or solely by volunteers. Local communities play a crucial role in engaging young gamers. A healthy lifestyle, fair play, responsibility and inclusion are among the principles that the local context aims to assure and instil in participants. The shortcomings of the existing gaming and sports cultures can be addressed by incorporating these sporting principles into the local environment. However, the published document does not only focus on local sports clubs, but puts the limelight on other stakeholders, that play a crucial role in contributing to the overall grassroots sport perspective. 

You can download the document here: https://esports.isca.org/resources-mapping-stakeholders