Sep 28, 2021

CIAA, NJCAA Esports Launch Partnership to Develop Pipelines and Growth Initiatives for Member Institutions

CHARLOTTE, NC - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest historically black athletic conference, and the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), the national governing body for two-year college esports in the United States, have announced a partnership that focuses on the collective growth and development of collegiate esports and gaming across their respective associations.

This partnership is the first of its kind for both associations within the collegiate esports and gaming sector.

The CIAA and NJCAAE will collaborate on programming geared towards initiating growth within the gaming and esports industry, identifying competitive gaming opportunities among CIAA and NJCAAE institutions, and developing relationship and college recruiting pipelines between each associations' respective membership.

Both organizations will also work on an educational network for students through partnered online and community-based outreach programs and content.

"We are extremely excited to partner with NJCAA Esports as we continue to establish our presence within collegiate esports and gaming. This relationship provides our membership with opportunities to engage two-year students and institutions nationally that are actively participating in collegiate esports while having the potential to directly aid in their efforts to increase enrollment," said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams.

With both organizations headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area, this alliance is a part of the continued effort to grow esports and gaming within the region as well as across the collegiate esports landscape at large.

"The NJCAAE was founded to create more opportunities for students and member institutions alike. I cannot think of a better win for everyone than through the creation of a recruiting pipeline for our students to the institutions within the historic CIAA," said Jeff White, Executive Director of the NJCAAE.

For the latest information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. You can also like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram as well as follow us on Twitch. To learn more about NJCAAE and its mission, visit www.njcaa.org/esports and follow @NJCAAE on Twitter, Instagram and Twitch.

About the CIAA

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. In 2020, the conference celebrated the special 75th anniversary of its Championship Basketball Tournament - an event that has become a must-see in the African American community. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member- institutions: Bowie State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. Chowan University is an associate member in football and women's bowling. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

About NJCAA Esports

The National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), founded in 2019, is the only national esports association exclusively for two-year colleges. The NJCAAE is committed to removing all barriers to entry into esports, enhancing high school to college recruiting for members, and creating an engagement, enrollment, and completion strategy for students and member institutions alike. Esports participants and NJCAAE members benefit through meaningful, educational, and transformative opportunities which lead to greater retention and completion rates for participants. Already boasting over 100-schools from all regions of the United States and Canada after just four semesters of competition, the NJCAAE is the association of choice for all 2-year schools.