WESTFIELD, IN – March, 17th, 2020 - Indiana Soccer Association and Leading esports and gaming sabermetrics platform GYO Score have partnered to announce the “Keep Kids Playing” campaign, an effort to enable Indiana’s youth soccer organizations to continue playing with their teammates in esports competitions during Indiana Soccer’s Coronavirus outdoor soccer suspension. Players will register for free on the GYO Score esports platform, and the Champions eLeague Series will provide an outlet for soccer players & coaches to remain connected, compete, play and learn within a safe, digital environment.
"Playing soccer on grass provides numerous benefits in the personal development of the young people we collectively serve,” said Dave Guthrie, Executive Director of the Indiana Soccer Association. Although esports is not a replacement for grass play, Indiana Soccer is committed to maintaining that sense of competition, community connectedness, and fair play for their clubs, players and coaches by providing a healthy and productive alternative during these uncertain times.
Available beginning today, Indiana Soccer, in partnership with GYO Score, is extending a free opportunity to any member club, registered player, and coach to establish a free club and players’ management account on GYO Score’s portal. The GYO club management account will allow their players to play soccer digitally together on the GYO platform through the FIFA series of video games and other titles which may be approved by the club’s coaches.
In addition to providing basic roster management for the club, the platform will allow for the soccer clubs to schedule esports practices, scrimmages, and social events to keep their team together during the shutdown. Parents are also able to sign up to track their child’s play and account, so parents know their children are playing esports with their fellow teammates. Beginning later this month, Champions eLeague will introduce a series of gameplay events structured to mirror the traditional grass league schedule and structure.
"Coronavirus safety and containment has caused most major sports organizations to shut down. Esports provides an opportunity for youth soccer players to compete, interact, and learn with each other from the safety of their own homes,” said Derek Pew, CEO of Harena Data. “We are committed to helping young people use esports as a way to learn and grow and, as an Indiana-based company, we felt we could do our part by offering our platform for free to youth soccer when players could not get on grass".
“It's incredibly crucial that our sports closures do not create barriers of any kind that can harm the development of our youth,” added Guthrie. “We need to encourage youth to continue to be active, social, and foster their collaborative skills through all possible means. This esports opportunity is an excellent way to keep kids connected, playing and safe while we await the return of our traditional leagues.”
As part of the Child Safety Act, access to the portal will be restricted to verified Indiana Soccer members only. Non-members who want to participate can register with the office through a member club. It is imperative that all times this portal is both kid-safe and kid friendly.
More information about this campaign can be found at https://www.soccerindiana.org/keep-kids-playing/
About Indiana Soccer
Indiana Soccer is a member of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), United States Youth Soccer (USYS), Unites States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and United States Futsal Association (USFF). It is a not-for-profit Indiana corporation, allowing tax deductible donations and contributions to the fullest extent of the law. Indiana has a current membership base of over 60,000 youth players, 3,000 adult players, 8,000 active coaches, 3,800 referees and thousands of volunteers through its network of over 140 local member clubs across the state of Indiana.
Indiana Soccer is organized to provide nonprofit, public, educational soccer development and competition. Its leadership is comprised of an Executive Committee and a volunteer Board of Directors who represent all parts of the state. The organization currently has a professional staff of 8 full-time employees working out of the State Office in Westfield, Indiana.
About GYO
GYO Score is an esports and gaming data analytics platform that seeks to support gamers and esports at all levels. With its game data analytics tools, team management, player profile, and league tool systems, GYO supports gamers and esports-enthusiasts of all competition levels to pursue their dream of esports stardom and community building. To date, GYO Score has helped facilitate over 200 esports scholarship offers and boasts more than 25,000 players on its platform since it launched in September 2019. To learn more about GYO, please visit https://www.gyo.gg/
About Harena Data, Inc
Founded in 2017, Harena Data has developed GYO Score to be a data analytics, league development, and player management tool for the esports industry. The principles of Harena Data have a strong background in esports, event management, motion picture production, and telecommunications. In addition to GYO Score, Harena Data specializes in esports consultation regarding the development and deployment of esports venues, scholastic esports programs, and esports league concepts.
Media contact:
Gus@soccerindiana.org
Wahid@gyoscore.com