For Full Sail University and its collegiate esports organization, Full Sail Armada, creating opportunities for students to gain real-world experience in esports event production is a vital part of preparing them for careers in the industry. That’s why building relationships with organizations invested in competitive gaming like Super Girl Gamer Pro (SGGP) helps to create new opportunities for students while strengthening our connection to the esports community at large.

Super Girl Gamer Pro – a leg of the popular Super Girl Surf Pro festival series – aims to diversify gaming spaces and welcome women into the esports fold with tournaments hosted during their large-scale festivals. Over the last three years, Full Sail Armada has worked with SGGP to produce tournaments, from beachside LAN events in cities including Jacksonville, Florida, and Oceanside, California to online face-offs for competitors across the country.

Full Sail’s role as a production partner has allowed students to gain valuable experience managing esports tournaments in titles including Valorant and Rocket League outside the comfort of Full Sail’s on-campus esports arena, the Orlando Health Fortress. Working in roles in tournament organization, observation, and more, students have had the chance to expand their esports network, gain experience working with a professional client, and support women and girls in gaming and esports.

“For us at Full Sail, our goal is to ensure students are fully prepared for their careers when they graduate. Relationships like this one allow students to fully produce and execute an esports tournament both online and in a space that’s not traditionally used for esports. Now, when these students graduate, they’ve not only learned the skills needed to work in this field, but they’ve fully produced these events on their own,” shares Full Sail’s Director of Esports Sari Kitelyn.

Passionate about bringing diversity and equity to gaming spaces, SGGP’s mission clearly aligns with Armada’s according to Sari.

“What I love most about Super Girl Gamer is that we really have established a true partnership – our students get to apply what they’re learning in real-time, all while bringing the power of gaming and esports to young girls nationwide.”

“Aligning with a partner and an organization that believes the same thing that we do and philosophically aligns holds a lot of value,” shares Super Girl Esports Director Amanda Ball. And having students involved who are passionate about gaming and the fan experience has also been a benefit of working with Armada according to Amanda.

“Having somebody that is just as passionate and really wants to see the success of the platform and of the tournament managing things on site is great,” she says. “Giving the opportunities to students that need these real-life experiences comes back to that main mission of providing opportunities, even if it's not women, it's just people trying to break into the scene.”