Starting an eSports Organization — Part 1

Starting a team with friends, climbing the ladders and competing against the best sounds great and challenging, but what about all the other stuff that goes on during that climb? Practice Schedules, Logistics, Team Management, Financial Funding, Tournament Winnings, Sponsorship’s, Social Media and Public Relations, etc. Now more than ever, organizations need to be built so the players can focus on their skills and the game, no longer should players be coaches, owners, managers, or team moms. The amount of time that can be spent doing just one of those jobs will take away from countless hours of possible practice.

Be sure to check out the 16 tools you need to have as an esports startup!

My goal of this series is to help those teams, owners, and current organizations better understand the working side of having a Class A team that is number one in game play and business management. As my guide will favor more teams in League of Legends and MOBA’s, It still is useful for any eSports Team! I believe that a few of the guides could be very helpful for Collegiate Teams and clubs that are looking to understand how to manage school and eSports There are several fundamental sections I am going to break this down into, below in no particular order are several subjects that I feel are crucial or lacking from certain organizations and need to be explained so any individual can represent themselves professionally.

• Management Team
• Public Relations
• Sponsorship’s
• Financial support and Funding
• Player Contracts
• Player Logistics

Management Team

A Management Team is crucial for any organization, they handle all of the topics listed above and more! Previously organizations would handle these operations by delegating tasks to players who could perform them in their off time. Now as funding and more backing has encouraged it, teams now have several positions filled by their Management Team. The Management Team should include the majority of your staff that are NOT players. Players are what brings in the money for you to stay afloat. Remember what players are paid to do and not to do.

Possible positions one organization might have are:

• Owner/Manager
• Marketing Director
• Specific Game Manger
• Specific Game Coach
• Content & Social Media Manager
• Outsourcing

Public Relations

As this will be a position filled by you, your management team, and your players, and it might actually be the most important topic covered! When we talk Public Relations, we mean your presence on social media, your fans impression of your organization, and any possible news that goes public (wanted or unwanted).

When we go deeper into Public Relations we will discuss the following topics:

• Organizational Brand
• Player Reputation
• Social Media & Websites
• Fan Interactions
• The Do’s and Don’ts
• Examples

Sponsorship

Sponsorship’s are part of Public Relations but needs to be its own section the clarity of detail about how they can affect your organization! They can add great tools to your organization and bring great awareness to your team! Remember, sponsorship’s are a two way deal, when you receive, you will have to give something in return if it is by public shout outs, display of a logo on your teams jersey and media sites, or by endorsements.

Sponsorship’s will be broken down in the following topics:

• Your Side of the Deal
• Their Side of the Deal
• How to approach sponsorship’s
• Establishing a relationship

Financial and Funding

If you are looking at purchasing a team then you will definitely need some sort of funding. Now for those that look to bootstrap your team through tournaments then I have some tips for you to consider! This is one of the more complicated portions of new and old organizations as it involves such things as Business Tax ID, Paying Salaries, Paying Taxes, Expenses, Budgeting, etc. This section I will be getting some outside advice on which may take a bit longer to finish, but I want it to be as helpful to all users.

Financial will cover the following topics:

• Salaries
• Recurring Expenses
• State and Federal Regulations
• Revenue through Video Streams
• Revenue through Merchandise

Player Contracts

After several fines through the League Championship Series for poaching, Riot Games has made a tremendous effort to stop poaching from other teams and help your organization continue to have control over your players. If you are just friends playing, or even paying your players, it is so crucial to have some sort of an agreement to maintain that relationship! If your players come late to practices then they need to know that they are not entitled to punishments. It sets the guidelines for how your organization manages its players and sets a standard on how your players act and participate in outside activities that could have a positive or negative influence on your organizations public relations.

Player Contracts will be subject to covering:

• The Why
• Legal Requirements
• Formatting the contract
• Player and Organizational Obligations

Player Logistics

Where do the players live? How do they practice? All of these questions need to be answered and have a plan of action. Some of these questions will be covered in the player contracts, but it’s a full time position to make sure the players and coaches are doing what is need to make a successful team! The term “House Mom” is thrown around in this topic and really is an interesting source of how a team learns to live and practice together. This section really has a lot of options and you just need to choose which one works best for you with your financial support and time restraints for the players and support staff.

Player Logistics will go in detailed about the following:

• Practice Time
• How do the players Live
• Tournament Protocol
• Being Different

Summary and More

Now since we have covered the basics of all the topics, I’ll be working on detailed guides for each topic. In total this will be about a 10 part series. I’m really looking forward to working on this project! I’m currently working on obtaining my Business Management degree with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship. As I look at how I wish to run a future business and the inexperience that several organizations face, I hope to only see strong organizations form and take over the eSports scene. The dedication of a strong, diverse, and educated support staff will lead to a successful organization. I’ve gained a few networks where I have inside access into a few organizations and have got some great tips for those starting their own organization!

If you think you have any tips that would be helpful to add or I missed an important section, please let me know. If you are looking for someone to help consult your organization than feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Originally published at www.goldper10.com.