PlayVS has partnered with the National Federation of State High School Associations to develop a country-wide high school esports program.

The NFHS has member associations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The program will launch its first season in October with at least 15 states participating.

Traditional sports have developed a strong, enduring structure in high schools across the United States. Schools for enduring rivalries with one another, students and families attend rallies to support their teams, and any kid hoping to become a professional player starts its journey with the local high school team. Today, esports took a major step towards replicating that structure.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The program intends to launch with four to five game titles per season, with two seasons planned per year culminating in state championships. [/perfectpullquote]

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) along with its broadcast division, the NFHS Network, have announced an exclusive partnership with esports startup PlayVS to develop an official program for esports competition in U.S. high schools. The plan is to develop a scalable program that will eventually provide esports competition opportunities to over 14.5M high school students across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Related Article: National Association of Collegiate Esports Partners with High School Esports League

CEO and founder of PlayVS Delane Parnell said:

“We’re excited to partner with the NFHS and NFHS Network to introduce esports in high schools nationwide.This partnership combined with our technology and publisher relationships will help us create the first scalable competition for high school students. Esports is about more than just playing games—it can be used to help students grow their STEM interests and develop valuable life skills and since there are more high school gamers than athletes, it’s about time we foster this pastime in an educational setting.”

PlayVS was developed by investment firm Science, who’s portfolio includes Dollar Shave Club, MeUndies, and home security technology company August Home. The company will partner with game publishers to secure games for competition, focusing on fighting, sports, and MOBA games. The program intends to launch with four to five game titles per season, with two seasons planned per year culminating in state championships.

Students will play official matches online through PlayVS’ tournament platform, but the NFHS intends to hold live events for select playoff and championship matches. The PlayVS platform will also allow students to view leaderboards, create their own profiles, and connect directly with college recruiters. The NFHS and PlayVS will debut their program in October, with at least 15 states participating.

This is an ambitious undertaking for an association with no esports background and a new technology startup. However, the potential benefits to the U.S. esports industry cannot be understated. Colleges are used to scouting and recruiting high school athletes, and awarding scholarships directly to those students. A stable high school ecosystem could open the door to more collegiate scholarship programs for esports.

UPDATE — 20/04/2018: The original version of this article included a reported list of games to be played in the inaugural season of the program. According to PlayVS CEO Delane Parnell, this list has not yet been released. In an interview with Polygon, NFHS Network CEO Mark Koski explained that PlayVS will create a list of 10 formally sanctioned games in partnership with developers, but states will be free to choose which games they make available to students.