(Sacramento, CA) – The California Interscholastic Federation announces the first-ever in-person CIF Esports Initiative Championship Finals to be held on April 27, 2024 at the California State University, Dominguez Hills Toro Esports Academy. The statewide CIF tournament is hosted and managed by NASEF, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations.
The popularity of esports is undeniable: this year’s tournament experienced 41% growth from last year, with over 210 high schools and 600 teams competing in popular esports games. This live Championship Finals will offer exciting competition and crown a champion in League of Legends, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. CIF also piloted student competition in Madden NFL 24 and NBA2K24 during the regular season.
Ron Nocetti, Executive Director of the CIF, said, “The CIF is excited to host our first in-person Esports Initiative Championship at the Toro Esports Lab on the campus of CSU Dominguez Hills. This provides a great opportunity for students throughout the state to come together, compete, and showcase their skills while representing their school communities.”
Qualifying teams include:
- League of Legends: Sunny Hills High School from Fullerton, and La Quinta High School from Westminster
- Rocket League: Lompoc High School from Lompoc, and Benjamin Franklin Senior High School from Los Angeles
- Super Smash Bros.: Beaumont Senior High School from Beaumont facing West Covina High School from West Covina in one division, and West High School from Torrance facing El Diamante High School from Visalia in the other division
CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham said, “CSUDH is honored to be hosting this CIF tournament, as it reflects our institutional commitment to esports and our deep ties with NASEF. At CSUDH, esports is a strategy, not an outcome, and NASEF has been instrumental in supporting and collaborating with our robust esports program.
“In addition to fostering student success, esports is also a critical engagement tool for our university. We look forward to welcoming the players to our new, state-of-the-art esports facility, connecting them with our Toros playing on our esports teams, and showing them the many opportunities there are to compete in esports at the collegiate level.
“We have high expectations for the level of play and are excited to see the talent of these young, upcoming competitors.”
Athletes’ families and the public are invited to join the live event and cheer on their favorite teams. The Toro Esports Academy is located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills at 1000 E Victoria St, Carson CA 90747. For those unable to attend in-person, the Championship Finals will be streamed on NASEF’s Twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/nasefedu.
NASEF shares the core values and mission of CIF regarding education-based opportunities for the students of California, with a model that connects gameplay and competition to meaningful education around life and career skills. NASEF is proud to partner with PlayVS as its tournament platform, and throughout the school year the event has been powered by PlayVS. Find details about the tournament, rulebooks, and other information at www.nasef.org/compete/cif-california.
About the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)
Created in 1914, the CIF is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. CIF is uniquely positioned to foster student growth in values and ethics. CIF’s ideal of “Pursuing Victory with Honor,” provides the opportunity to influence the actions of the athletic community. CIF strives to promote equity, quality, character, and academic development. CIF is a nonprofit federation and the state office, located in Sacramento, Calif., represents the interests of its member Sections.
The 10 Sections represent geographic regions within the state: Central, Central Coast, Los Angeles City, North Coast, Northern, Oakland, Sac-Joaquin, San Diego, San Francisco, and Southern. CIF represents 1,624 public and private member schools and more than 760,000 student-athletes. CIF conducts Regional and State Championships in badminton, baseball, traditional competitive cheer, cross country, football, volleyball, tennis, wrestling, basketball, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, track & field, golf, water polo and the CIF Esports Initiative . CIF Sections conduct championships in more than 26 sports. Visit CIF at CIFState.org and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CIFState.
About NASEF
NASEF is on a mission to provide opportunities for all students to use esports as a platform to acquire STEM/STEAM-based skills and critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. NASEF operates under the umbrella of the World Wide Scholastic Esports Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The International Esports Federation has entrusted NASEF with training and supporting its 130+ member federations as they undertake development of scholastic esports programs. Find NASEF at NASEF.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
About CSUDH Esports
CSUDH Esports is founded on Five Pillars of Esports: Academics & Research, Career Development, Community, Competition, and Entertainment. At CSU Dominguez Hills, esports is a strategy, not an outcome. Within each pillar, CSUDH Esports provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and learn new skills. The esports teams at CSUDH compete nationally in leagues or tournaments each semester. Student players are able to connect with other collegiate gamers and gain the hard skills that facilitate their entry into various fields upon graduation, whether they remain in esports or not. CSU Dominguez Hills faculty has also started development on esports specific curriculum, with the intent to establish a minor or major in esports.
Located on the second floor of the Leo Cain University Library, the CSUDH Toro Esports Academy is designed to be a flexible, institution-wide space. It serves the entire university community by offering a practical classroom, a competitive arena, an incubator space, and a broadcast room. There are currently 38 gaming stations plus three broadcast stations. Events can access all 38 stations as needed, teams can overflow into the incubation or classroom sections, and students are free to collaborate and develop their ideas. Sponsors have graciously donated and provided equipment for lab operations. Find out more at esports.csudh.edu
