Esports
UNC Asheville Esports
Our Esports program houses both competitive teams as well as a physical space equipped to support high-level gaming, casually and competitively.
Located in our Student Recreation Center, our Esports Varsity Program is led by dedicated staff, coaches, managers, and broadcasters who allow us to stream games, compete against other colleges, and casually play with friends all at the same place. We host exciting events and boast a thriving Discord community with over 350 members.
Join Our Discord Community
Join Our Discord Community
Join the largest UNC Asheville Discord server with over 350 members, moderation staff, casual and competitive players, coaches, resources, tickets, and event announcements.
Esports Center Equipment
Esports Center Equipment
- 16 Alienware R13 w/3080s
- 27” 240hz Monitors
- 2 PlayStation 5s
- PS5, Xbox, and Switch Pro Controllers, Fanatec Wheel Options
- Steelcase Gaming Chairs
- 2 Fanatec Racing Rigs
- 4 Nintendo Switches
Rent Esports gear for your on-campus events outside of the Rec Center. Contact us at recreation@unca.edu.
Games Available to Play
- EA Sports FC
- College Football
- Stardew Valley
- Baldur’s Gate
- Rounds
- Left4Dead
- Madden
- 7 Days to Day
- Dead by Daylight
- Jackbox Games
- Mortal Kombat One
- Street Fighter 6
- Tekken 8
- Forza
- Assetto Corsa
- NBA 2K
- Hollow Knight: Silk Song
- Helldivers 2
- Borderlands 4
Want to try out a new game? Let us know!
Competitive Collegiate Esports
Our competitive program, launched in 2023, is quickly growing! If you are interested in competing, fill out our interest form below and join our Discord to speak to us directly.
Principal Competitions
Big South Esports Conference
Our program is officially recognized by the Big South Conference, where we compete against our historic rivals: Radford, Winthrop, High Point, Presbyterian, Charleston Southern, and others.
2025-2026 will be our third official season competing in this D1 Esports Conference.
National Esports Collegiate Conference
The National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), established in 2020, is a premier North American collegiate Esports organization uniting over 400 colleges. It hosts competitive seasons and championships in titles like League of Legends, Valorant, Overwatch, and Rocket League, among many others, most recently adding Marvel Rivals. The NECC awards trophies and prize money to champions as well as access to other tournaments.
If you’re interested in joining, starting, or participating in one of our Esports teams, we’d love to hear from you.
Esports Student Employment
Esports Student Employment
The Esports Center relies on talented and dependable student employees to keep our space open and accessible to the community. See position descriptions below and apply on the Student Employment Portal.
Our GMs are trained to troubleshoot problems in the Esports Center as well as set up stations in other department buildings if we have an event. They can get you the equipment you need, recommend games, and help set up your gaming experience. If you have any issues or just need a friendly face to game with, drop by the front desk to speak with your GM. General Managers are also able to run event brackets and stream events via our Twitch channel.
If you are interested in being a GM, keep a lookout for job positions on JobX from your One Port.
A Team Lead helps build and maintain our competitive squads as well as manage online
competition, leagues, and tournaments. Team Leads must qualify as exceptional talents in their areas and can assist our students with coaching, ranking up, tips on playing games, running a bracket, playing through our competition platforms, and supporting our GMs during events.
If you are interested in being a Team Lead, keep a lookout for job positions on JobX from your One Port.
Student Achievements
UNC Asheville Minecraft Replica
One of our General Managers created a UNC Asheville Minecraft server based on our campus.
Graduated Players
Our competitive players put in time and effort to play against rival college teams in various competitions, including the Big South. Those who graduate with active participation are immortalized in our Esports Center along with their achievements.
- Mason Bradley: Spring 2024
- Grady Rector: Spring 2024
- Cain Galeota: Fall 2024
- Mike Islas: Spring 2025
- Logan Licata: Spring 2025
- Connor Hall: Spring 2025
Partnerships
UNC Asheville’s Esports program invites businesses, organizations, and sponsors to explore partnership opportunities with our growing competitive gaming community. As we continue to expand, we offer a range of activation options to enhance your brand visibility.
Brand Activation Opportunities
Activations refer to strategic placements and engagements designed to promote your brand within our Esports ecosystem. These opportunities include:
- Signage Space on the Esports Center: Prominent logo placement on facility walls.
- Curated Backlinking from the Website: Strategic hyperlinks from our site to yours.
- Mousepad Space: Branded mousepads for use by our gamers.
- On the Computer Screens: Custom displays featuring your logo on gaming rigs.
- Naming Rights of Esports Center: Opportunity to name the facility after your brand.
- On Our Community Discord: Brand visibility within our 300+ member server.
- Our Peripherals: Branded gaming equipment such as mice, keyboards, and headsets.
- On Our Social Media: Featured posts and mentions across our platforms.
- On Our Jerseys: Logo placement on team uniforms for competitions like the Big South Conference.
- Event Sponsorship: Support for tournaments or watch parties with branding opportunities.
- Branded Content Creation: Production of videos or streams highlighting your brand.
If you are interested in understanding more about partnering with UNC Asheville’s Esports Program please reach out to us!