Wisdom Gaming-owned Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL), a hub for high school esports leagues, is extending its programs to middle schoolers. Known as “MNVL Jr.,” the initiative stems from an “overwhelming amount of requests” for a middle school academic esports program, said Jake Utities, director of MNVL.

Founded in 2019, Bloomington-based MNVL has grown to 69 high schools and more than 1,200 participants last spring. Now, MNVL has more than 80 schools onboarded, and “we anticipate that to increase going into our spring 2024 season,” said Utities in an email to TCB.

“We have large plans for the future and hope to support the entire academic ecosystem of esports in Minnesota,” he said. “We are one of the few organizations that supports esports, and we take that responsibility seriously.”

The MNVL Jr. will likely see a majority of its first school participants in the middle school league come from the greater Twin Cities area before other parts of the state. “This is the same trajectory we have seen with the high school league and anticipate middle school will follow a similar path,” Utities said.

The middle school esports league will follow a format similar to the high school program and focus on competing in these titles: Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, Chess, and Minecraft.

There is a $50 registration fee for all MNVL and MNVL Jr. members per season (fall and spring), which grants students access to the league, resources, and qualifying events.

The league’s shift toward younger players comes amid a shift in sponsors. In early 2022, MNVL landed sponsorships from the Minnesota Twins, Wisdom Gaming-owned Torrent, and MN Rokkr, the Vikings-owned esports team. Torrent has since ceased operations, and the other two entities have not returned as sponsors.

Now, MNVL’s sponsors have shifted from professional esports and sports teams to collegiate sponsors.

Utities attributes the sponsorship shift to broader market changes in the esports industry. “We see the biggest return for both our students and our sponsors themselves through collegiate sponsors,” he said. “We still believe there is a big incentive for professional esports and sports teams to support scholastic esports; however, with the recent departure of professional esports from Minnesota, we have had to adapt and pivot.”

MNVL’s first collegiate sponsor was Concordia University, which debuted its esports program in 2019. MNVL is also sponsored by the University of North Dakota, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, St. Cloud State University, North Central University, and Lyon College in Arkansas. Its only non-collegiate sponsor is Undeniably Dairy, an organization that promotes the U.S. dairy industry.

“We anticipate that more colleges will be interested in joining the program as we continue to grow,” said Utities, sharing that MNVL will cap collegiate sponsors at eight.

Alongside the debut of the middle school esports league, MNVL introduced its first esports development clinic earlier this year, which serves coaches and partners in Minnesota looking to build academic esports programs. The esports organization is also looking to grow its national network through the Interstate Esports Alliance, which MNVL helped found alongside 21 other educator-led esports organizations.

MNVL also launched MNVL Fund to support its student internship programs, which offer students experiences in careers such as STEM, marketing, and production. MNVL’s internship program now employs more than 20 students from across the state at the high school and college levels.

“One of our goals is to provide Minnesota with opportunities that go beyond scholastic. Our mission is to help spread this incredibly positive program to as many kids as possible so that they have the opportunity to join a community where they can thrive and call home,” Utities said.