eSPn5 introduces Road to The Nationals to boost esports in Phl
The Nationals, the first-ever esports franchise model league in the country set to launch in 2019, recently launched an esports grassroot program called The Road to The Nationals, a series of tournament qualifiers organized by leading sports channel ESPN5. The first round will start on Aug. 4. From the tournaments — DOTA2 for PC,
Mobile Legends for mobile and a console game to be announced in September — eight teams from each game are selected through the initial rounds. Those that qualify will get the chance to be drafted and sponsored by the pioneer teams of The Nationals. There is also a prize pool worth millions of pesos at stake for the three games.
Six partners led by TNC Pro Team, HappyFeet eSports, BrenPro Inc., Cignal TV, PLDT/ Smart Communications and STI Education Systems have committed as founding teams of The
Nationals, and are looking to discover the best esports athletes around the country through the ESPN5 campaign.
“We are using the Road to The Nationals as the pool of talent to build the teams in The Nationals,” says Vincent Reyes, president and CEO of TV5. “This is esports like never before. Aspiring esports enthusiasts now have a chance to get into a sustainable playing career. This is their time to seize the opportunity.” “The Road to The Nationals’ DOTA2, Mobile
Legends and console game tournaments are all part of NSA’s thrust to grow esports in the Philippines,” says Joebert Yu, president of the newly established National Sports Association (NSA) for esports, the Esports National Association of the Philippines (ESNAP).
“The three separate tournaments are ESNAP tournaments. This is officially the biggest push to elevate Philippine esports.”
The Road to The Nationals has also the distinction of being the first local esports tournament to be featured on free TV. Powered by PLDT-SMART, the Road to The Nationals regional tournaments and the grand finals will all be aired exclusively under the ESPN5 banner operated by TV5.
The qualifiers for the Road to The Nationals will be held at the following dates and locations. For PC Game: DOTA2 Regional Qualifiers: Aug. 4 at TNC Morayta; Aug. 11, SM Seaside Cebu; Aug. 25, Cagayan de Oro Cybersquare Café; Sept. 22, TNC Bacolod; Sept. 29, Localhost Café, KBEN Building, MH Del Pilar, Iloilo; Oct. 13, UGZ – 137 Nueño Ave., Poblacion 1A Imus, Cavite. Grand finals is set on Oct. 27 to 28 at ESGS, SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. For Mobile Game: Mobile Legends, The Mobile Legends Professional League Season 2 (MPL Season 2) serves as the qualifiers for Mobile Legends. Keep visiting https://web.facebook.com/MobileLegendsOnlinePH/
for MPL Season 2 details.
Meanwhile, Console Game: NBA2K19 or Tekken 7 (tentative) dates of NBA2K19 or Tekken7 qualifiers will be released in September. For details, visit http://TheNationalsPH.com. TV5 Network, Inc. (formerly ABC Development Corp.), a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., is a company engaged in TV and radio broadcasting, content production for local and international audiences, and other related businesses. TV5 is the leading sports broadcaster in the country, providing worldclass coverage, programming and delivery of various sporting events in the country.