Collegiate esports organization the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) announced Monday new pricing for the 2024-2025 season that will see a modest increase in fees for schools within its program.
In its announcement, NECC said that it will now cost $1300 USD for schools that want to run an “unlimited number of teams” in such titles as Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Overwatch 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., and Valorant. To operate an unlimited number of teams in a single title, schools will pay $650 during the 2024-25 season.
NECC added in its announcement that schools that have a varsity program will “have ways to work with us to tailor the experience they want,” and that schools/clubs that can’t afford this new pricing can work with NECC to find ways to support it, including grants and sponsorships.
Last week NECC announced a licensing deal with Ohio-based esports and gaming company eFuse to operate its Collegiate Carball Association (CCA) and College CoD League (CCL) competitions, with eFuse handling marketing and sponsorship duties going forward. In an emailed statement on Monday evening NECC Commissioner and CEO Jacob VanRyn told The Esports Advocate that CCA and CCL will be separate operations from its other main program. He also told us that these increased fees are in no way a scheme to pay the costs of that licensing deal with eFuse:
“These two things have nothing to do with each other,” VanRyn told TEA. “We were planning on increasing slightly before any of this came forward or was an option, etc. Our membership fees are being increased primarily for additional staff – both full- and part-time as well as adding to prizing we’re offering and additional opportunities including educational resources and development opportunities for programs.”
VanRyn also told us that the NECC is currently made up of four full-time employees “along with a number of game managers, part-time staff including data-entry, casters, producers, and observers, etc.”
In its announcement, NECC said that the increase in fees will be used to hire more staff, create larger prize pools, and overhaul its game manager system to streamline communication, tweak day-to-day operations, and provide better overall support for participants.
Sources tell TEA that during the previous season, NECC charged around $1000 for participation in multi-title programs, with a reduced fee for single-title participation. It is also important to note that not every school or club in the program pays a fee; in some cases, the NECC waives fees or helps find funding to support participation.
The NECC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization filed under the organizational name, the “New England Collegiate Conference,” located in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The company operates a national collegiate esports program that works with more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States—and with clubs where the local education institution does not offer an official collegiate esports program.