On July 18 (Vietnam time), T1 Entertainment & Sports officially announced the establishment of the T1 Esports Academy (TEA). The academy will be based in Seoul and is set to commence operations at the beginning of next month.
In the initial phase of operation, TEA will focus solely on training in League of Legends before expanding into other esports disciplines. At the academy, students will receive training based on specific positions, with two former T1 members, Untara and Sky, returning as the first coaches of the academy. Sky will coach the mid lane while Untara will handle the top lane.
T1 will select students through ambitious gamers looking to turn professional. The training program will be called Path to Pro (PTP) and will last for 20 weeks, divided into four phases: Evaluation Phase (4 weeks), Phase 1 (8 weeks), Phase 2 (6 weeks), and Final Assessment (2 weeks). Students who pass all these phases will be promoted to the T1 Rookies team – an amateur team under the Challengers division.
Additionally, the academy will offer various programs for casual gamers looking to improve their skills, named Path to Improvement (PTI). These programs are anticipated to provide fun and enjoyable experiences for gamers who play for entertainment purposes. Furthermore, both PTP and PTI are expected to lay a solid foundation for the development of esports in South Korea specifically and globally in general.
According to T1 CEO Joe Marsh: “The plan to establish the Esports Academy for T1 has been in the works for a long time. T1’s rich history in recruiting and training talent makes TEA stand out from other academies. I am thrilled that T1 can help discover and develop the next generation of talent for the League of Legends scene.”
“Bringing Untara and Sky back as coaches for the academy also reflects our intention to build everything on the foundation of the great legacy of South Korean esports. We hope to see more former players join the Academy in the near future.”
With the launch of the TEA academy, T1 has shown its ambition to continue dominating the League of Legends scene as well as esports in general in the coming time. In addition to the names that have been and are competing in the highest LCK tournaments, they are also ready for future generations to inherit. Especially, with the recruitment of those who have previously fought under the T1 banner, who knows one day we might see legends like Faker, Bang, or Impact in new roles and missions.