Inside the UK's new 200-seater 'ambitious' gaming and esports arena
Multi-million pound funding has been secured for the 15,000 square foot arena in Sunderland and will be Europe's first-of-its-kind 5G facility.
The 200-seat arena will be built alongside the city's famous Stadium of Light, the home of the Premier League football team.
Work will begin as soon as September and will open in 2026.
Its main function will be to support competitive video game players in tournaments like the Esports World Cups and Olympic Esports Games.
Athletes will be able to practice under tournament conditions, replicating the conditions of a live esports competition.
The arena will also play host to students and future talent, which will help train them for school and college tournaments.
The Gaming and Esports Arena will also play host to live music events, esports community events and national competitions.
The city already has links to esports with the National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) opened in the city in 2023.
It has hosted an array of esports teams, including Esports World Cup winners Team Falcons, national Great Britain teams in NBA 2K
and Rocket League.
Adam Payne OBE, chair of British Esports, said the new arena would be 'our St George's Park for esports' that will 'help train the next generation
of esports talent'. More Trending
He added: 'The flexibility of the arena will be what makes it a sustainable
facility that drives value back to British Esports, so that we can do more work for our community.'
Councillor Michael Mordey hailed the development as 'one of the most ambitious regeneration schemes in the UK right now.'
He said: 'It is a game-changing development which will cement Sunderland's reputation as the home of esports in the UK.'
Mordey added that it would be a boost to the economy by creating high-skilled jobs for local people and attracting visitors from across the globe.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd immediately proven wrong by £32m star after abandoning transfer pursuit
Evan Ferguson is out to prove a point after sealing a season-long loan move to Roma from Brighton, with Manchester United among the clubs previously linked with the striker Evan Ferguson gave Manchester United a glimpse of what they missed out on as he smashed in four goals on his Roma debut. The Ireland international has been on United's radar since bursting onto the scene with Brighton as a teenager. At one point, a hefty £100million price tag was attached to him, although there were no indications that United were prepared to shell out such an amount for the youngster. Last summer, it was rumoured that United were contemplating a £50million swoop for Ferguson, with Chelsea also reportedly showing interest. However, a move to Old Trafford never materialised and Ferguson's career hit a rough patch last season due to a lack of goals and persistent injuries. The 20-year-old spent the second half of the campaign at West Ham on loan after finding opportunities hard to come by at Brighton, but only managed to start one game for the Hammers. He is now looking to kickstart his career with Roma after joining the Serie A club on a season-long loan, a deal which includes a £32million right-to-buy option. Partnering Argentina World Cup-winning striker Paulo Dybala, Ferguson hit the ground running with his new club, scoring four times and providing an assist as Roma thrashed Italian lower-league side UniPomezia 9-0 in a friendly. United are on the hunt for a new striker this summer but abandoned their pursuit of him at the turn of the year, which may well come back to bite them if his debut performance is anything to by. Ferguson will return to England next month, with Roma set to play friendly matches against Aston Villa and Everton before commencing their Serie A campaign at home against Bologna on August 23. United's interest in Ferguson will have waned following his tough 2024/25 campaign. With young strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee both struggling, Ruben Amorim desperately required established Premier League attackers, leading to the summer arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to address those needs. Nevertheless, an impressive spell in Serie A could thrust Ferguson back into the thoughts of England's elite clubs. Following confirmation of his Roma loan switch, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler explained: "Evan had a challenging period across the past season and a half, and it has been one disrupted by niggling injury issues, which hasn't allowed him a run of games. "He is over those injuries and has come back in great shape. Now he really wants to play regularly. This is an exciting opportunity in a strong league and with the prospect of European football."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Raheem Sterling 'offered to surprise European giants' - as exiled Chelsea star edges close to Blues exit
A European giant has been offered the chance to sign Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling, according to a report. Sterling, 30, returned to Stamford Bridge this summer after completing a disappointing loan spell at Arsenal, where he scored just once across 28 appearances last campaign. Eager not to loan the forward out again for a second consecutive season, Chelsea are eager for the former England international to leave on a permanent transfer this summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, Sterling has been offered to Serie A giants Napoli, who are in the market for a left winger, in the last 48 hours. Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo and Bologna forward Dan Ndoye are among those being considered by the Italian club, with Sterling one of many on their summer shortlist. A move to Naples would mean a reunion with former Manchester City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, who left the Etihad on June 31 after his contract expired. Together in Manchester, Sterling and De Bruyne chalked up four Premier League titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup as team-mates, before the Belgian went on to win the Champions League and three more domestic honours. According to the BBC, Sterling is also attracting interest from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, who have sold Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool this summer for a British record of £116million and £29.5m respectively. The German club have also waved farewell to their manager Xabi Alonso, who joined Real Madrid, and Granit Xhaka after his summer move to newly-promoted Sunderland. Mail Sport reported earlier this month that Sterling has not been told what is next for him at Chelsea - but understands he is not in Blues boss Enzo Maresca's plans.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Newcastle stars break silence on Alexander Isak and reveal wantaway striker has ‘been through some rough things'
NEWCASTLE stars Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn have spoken out after Alexander Isak dramatically told the club he wants to leave. The striker did not travel with his team-mates on their Far East pre-season tour after it emerged he wants to explore a move away. 7 7 7 It has put several clubs on red alert - including Premier League champions Liverpool - with Isak's future thrown into chaos. The Swedish international scored 27 goals in 42 appearances last season to break out as one of the best forwards in the world. So England defender Burn was pressed on whether he understands Isak's desire to further his career away from St James' Park. He told the Daily Mail in Singapore: "Listen, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But I think we can just control what we can control. "That's a question for Alex to answer. He's obviously a big player for us, but we do have a lot of quality in the squad as well. "Bringing Anthony (Elanga) in as well, which I think was a great signing." Newcastle have officially said Isak, 25, is ruled out of their pre-season tour through a minor injury. And Burn, 33, added: "Alex hasn't trained with a thigh issue that's been ongoing since he's been back that first few days." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 7 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW Speculation is rife over Isak's future as the new league season approaches. And club captain Guimaraes, 27, said: "I'm really close to him. He's a good guy. He's been through some rough things at this moment. Where Liverpool's Ekitike talks leave Isak and Newcastle | Transfers Exposed "My focus is with the lads. Isak is something I cannot control. The club has control of it. "I hope he's going to be fit when we come back to Newcastle to prepare for the new season. "They told us he was there in Newcastle because of his injury. Of course he's a top player for us and he's going to be a miss on this trip. "We need him ready as soon as possible." Isak still has three years left on his current deal and is reluctant to commit to a possible £300,000-a-week fresh package. 7 It comes after he informed the club that he wants to consider his options - but Newcastle do not want to sell their star man. Newcastle knocked back an approach from Liverpool last week over a potential £120m British record fee. But Arne Slot's league champions are determined to partner Isak with Hugo Ekitike - recently signed for £79million from Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite Newcastle's stance on selling Isak - the club are lining up replacements should they fail to convince the forward to stay. RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, 22, tops the list after the Slovenian failed to complete a move to Arsenal this summer. Sesko scored 21 goals in 45 games last season and is available for around £60-£70m. Brentford's £30m man Yoane Wissa, 28, is another alternative. 7
