February 22, 2022– Last month the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) held the soft launch of its member mentorship program. Organized by NACE Director of Membership Sales and Services Ashley “AJ” Jones with support from NACE Leadership, its goal is to pair developing esports programs that have recently joined NACE Membership with veteran esports programs that have a firm grasp on the collegiate esports space.

Adam Antor, Director of Esports at Florida Southern College, and Sandra Martin, Dean of Housing at Southern Arkansas University, have been paired as mentor and mentee, respectively. Coach Antor is currently serving as the Chair of the NACE Competition Council.

“As the collegiate esports space continues to grow at a substantial rate, there is an increased need to train and mentor new coaches and directors,” said Coach Antor. “My hope with joining the program as a mentor was to help a mentee navigate the craziness of running a collegiate esports program while avoiding as many of the mistakes I made starting out as possible.”

Southern Arkansas University has been an established program for the past two years, and joined NACE this spring semester. 

“Our University has been navigating the world of esports for two years on our own. With joining NACE this semester, I knew we would definitely benefit from having the guidance and experience of a mentor, and that was definitely the case,” said Martin. “Being paired with my mentor has allowed me to build a relationship with a seasoned coach to bounce questions off of, get advice, and help me grow our program even more.”

Currently there are eight mentor-mentee pairs. In the Fall of 2022, Jones intends to expand the program to accommodate more programs, potentially pairing each new program with a mentor when NACE membership is granted. 

About NACE

The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of member institutions and is the largest association of college esports in North America. Together, NACE members are developing the structure and tools needed to advance collegiate esports in the varsity space. NACE colleges and universities collaborate to lay the groundwork in areas such as: eligibility, path to graduation, competition and scholarships. NACE represents the majority of varsity programs across North America.