A significant development within the UK’s student esports landscape has occurred with the acquisition of National Student Esports (NSE) by the Esports Global fund and its subsequent management handover to the British Esports Federation.
The move aims to create a unified pathway for competitive gaming from schools to universities by merging two of the country’s largest student gaming providers. Financial details were not disclosed.
The acquisition is one of the first major moves by the Esports Global Fund LP, a new investment vehicle backed by the Alshaya family from Kuwait, which is targeting $50m in investments across the esports and video games industry. The fund is led by industry figures including British Esports President Chester King.
Also read: Esports Global launches $50 million investment fund for gaming sector
The move by Esports Global sees NSE transition from its previous owner, the Benchmark Group. British Esports has been appointed to manage NSE’s operations moving forward, combining their resources and communities. According to official communications, the goal is to create a more robust and seamless ecosystem for student gamers in the UK.
All existing NSE staff will be retained and will work in conjunction with the British Esports team, with British Esports VP Tom Dore providing steering oversight for a period.
This partnership brings together two major pillars of UK student gaming. NSE, formed in 2017 and backed by British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), is known for the British University Esports Championship (BUEC). In the 2024/25 academic year, the BUEC involved 17,800 players from 117 universities. The British Esports Federation, established in 2016, runs the Student Champs for school and college students, which featured over 1,300 teams last year. British Esports also delivers educational initiatives such as the Esports BTEC from its National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland.
Regarding the continuity of existing programmes, British Esports confirmed that “The British University Esports Championship will continue as normal, as will NSE’s wide range of community activities and professional development programmes.”
Dave Martin, CEO of Esports Global, commented on the strategic rationale behind the move: “By facilitating the acquisition of NSE, and combining its reach and expertise with British Esports’ infrastructure and resources, we’re creating a unified pathway from school to college to university that empowers talent and raises the bar for student esports in our region.”
The announcement coincides with the start of the British University Esports Championship Winter 2025 season and the 2025/26 British Esports Student Champs season, highlighting the immediate operational integration of the two organisations.
