Yesterday on August 18, T1 Entertainment & Sports announced the opening of the T1 Esports Academy (TEA) in Seoul, which will open early next month.
For now, before extending to other games, TEA will initially provide courses in League of Legends. It will be the first to provide rookie lane-specific courses, with Kim ‘Sky’ Ha-neul teaching the mid lane and Park ‘Untara’ Ui-jin teaching the top lane, both of whom are former SK Telecom T1 pro-gamers. In the near future, additional lanes and teachers will be added to the program.
T1 Esports Academy
TEA will begin with students that are interested in becoming professional gamers. The “Path to Pro” (PTP) program is a 20-week program that includes the Assessment Period (4 weeks), Phase I (8 weeks), Phase II (6 weeks), and Final Evaluation (2 weeks). Students that meet all of the qualifications will be invited to try out for a position with the Rookies, a semi-pro team.
Additionally, more diversified classes for casual players wanting to develop their abilities will be available later this year, providing exciting and pleasant learning opportunities for the bulk of the LoL community in Korea.
T1 CEO Joe Marsh said, “The plan to open up T1 Esports Academy has been in the pipeline for quite some time now. T1’s long-standing history of recruiting and nurturing the best young talent sets TEA apart from other academies. I’m excited T1 will be able to help identify and develop the next generation of LoL stars.”
Joe Marsh also pointed out that they are looking forward to hiring more former SKT Telecom like Untara and Sky to continue to build on the legacy of great Korean Esports player.
The team has also demonstrated its intention to continue to dominate the LoL business in particular and Esports in general in the foreseeable future with the introduction of TEA Academy. They will be ready for future generations in addition to the stars that have competed in the top LCK competition. With the re-recruitment of names who have played for SK Telecom, perhaps one day, even Bang, Marin or Faker will comeback to coach for TEA.