T1 Announces Its New Esports Academy

South Korean organization T1 Entertainment and Sports announced their new esports academy, T1 Esports Academy (TEA).

The academy, which will launch in Seoul in early September, will initially offer League of Legends courses. The organization also announced its intention to expand the academy to other games.

TEA will begin with the Path to Pro (PTP) course, an intensive academy program designed to train professional esports players. They plan to host two types of training. 

The organization will also publish a Path to Improvement (PTI) course in the future. According to a report by Inven Global, this course will be a series of lessons for casual gamers looking to improve their gaming skills. Both courses will only be available to players living in Korea.

T1 has already set up a dedicated academy in the esports building where players can take advantage of the organization’s facilities.

TEA’s first PTP course will begin next month and it will consist of an intensive five-month training program divided into four phases. T1 has also announced that former pro players Kim ‘Sky’ Ha-neul and Park ‘Untara’ Ui-Jin will be instructors at the course.

Joe Marsh, CEO of T1, said the following about the academy:

The plan to open up T1 Esports Academy has been in the pipeline for quite some time now. T1’s long-standing history of recruiting and nurturing the best young talent sets TEA apart from other academies. I’m excited T1 will be able to help identify and develop the next generation of LoL stars.

Successful applicants will first go through a month-long evaluation process. After that, they will learn game theory and concepts for 14 weeks. The course will then give them an opportunity to play for the organization’s semi-pro team, the T1 Rookies. With that, the course will conclude with a final assessment that will select players for the Rookies.