Affiliate Program

The NASEF Affiliate Program provides a number of FREE key benefits to Affiliates:

• Engagement & Marketing
• Provides an opportunity for geographic representation as part of a larger engagement strategy in the esports community across the world.
• Offers tools, curricula, and resources for broadening esports and learning across your community (however the affiliate defines it).
• Gain visibility and validation in your grassroots efforts to grow esports and learning in your community. 
• Own your own webpage on the NASEF site dedicated to your affiliate. You can update your logo, about us section and contact information. NASEF will also pull from your social media accounts for updates on your page.
• Learning + Esports Opportunities
• Direct access to NASEF’s learning and competitive programs and activities, including all toolkits, curricula, competition, career pathway development, coaches, contests, community events, live events, webinars, calls, and learning challenges.
• Ability to organize localized learning and esports events, activities, and opportunities using NASEF’s tools and curriculum.
• Chance to qualify for exclusive tournament brackets (representing your Affiliate region), with opportunities to play into NASEF’s North America tournaments.
• Affiliate Management Support
• Access to the NASEF Affiliate Dashboard that contains key information on your clubs that opt-in to your affiliate, including but not limited to:
• List of clubs
• Club information (name and location)
• Faculty Advisors (name and contact information)
• Administrator/Executive Director (name and contact information)
• IT District (name and contact information)
• Club membership (total student participation including age, grade and gender identification)
• Affiliate Program Support
• Provides support and training in the form of monthly calls and topical webinars on organization of localized learning and esports events, activities and opportunities.

The Affiliate reviews the Affiliate Guide and website to determine the level of readiness to serve as an Affiliate in their region. The interested individual on behalf of an organization completes the NASEF affiliate application form. Once approved, NASEF adds the Affiliate to our Club activation form. A Club can opt-in to the new Affiliate. The Affiliate will be able to view and manage all club information on their NASEF Affiliate Dashboard. NASEF will provide monthly Affiliate calls to address organizing and coordination efforts. The Affiliate will also participate on the NASEF Discord server.

Affiliates are independent entities or organizations that play that provide a centralized geographic operational role at the grassroots level and have goals that align with the mission and values of NASEF. All Affiliates are required to:

• Adhere to NASEF’s mission, vision and core values, including the code of conduct.
• Demonstrate a shared set of goals that align with NASEF’s mission, vision and core values. 
• Sole responsibility for operating their non-NASEF affiliate programs, events, and competitions, and assist with their Clubs’ NASEF activities. In addition, each Affiliate is responsible for all aspects of the Affiliate program administration and management, including staffing, budgeting and fundraising.
• Demonstrate commitment from at least 10 active esports clubs who will join the Affiliate via the NASEF website.
• Be an active leader. Participate in NASEF online and live events. Be a NASEF ambassador, speaking at events, conferences, and meetings on behalf of NASEF.
• Take the lead in communicating with NASEF.  Participate in monthly Affiliate calls and join our Affiliate Discord channel.
• Renew Affiliate status each year beginning July 1st (the renewal process will begin in the spring of each year).
• To affix “NASEF Affiliate” with the NASEF logo on digital and print materials, including website and social media. NASEF will provide an Affiliate logo that should be used.
• To seek approval to market events, activities and opportunities that are sanctioned by NASEF.
• Share successes, failures, and overall impacts through reporting and analytics requested by NASEF.
• Sign NASEF Affiliate agreement. The agreement is signed by an organization or individual representing organization. Organization should be a non-profit status or government entity.

Each Affiliate is encouraged to participate in all NASEF competitions and learning programs and activities, however we expect Affiliates to grow their esports + learning communities in their regions. Therefore, NASEF will provide toolkits to help Affiliates plan for and execute their events. Ultimately, the Affiliate is responsible for their own tournaments and leagues (NASEF and non-NASEF programs and activities).

Affiliates have requested that NASEF organize exclusive Affiliate brackets that would feed into NASEF’s large-scale/season long tournaments. An example of this would include, a regional or state level bracket would compete and their champion(s) would have a playoff berth in the national level tournament series or championship. If approved by NASEF, the tournament bracket would be organized and overseen by the NASEF team and NASEF would apply for the game developer’s license as part NASEF’s larger tournament structure. 

In order for NASEF to organize an exclusive tournament bracket, Affiliates must:

• Identify a minimum of 16 teams that will compete in the bracket.
• Have no more than 2 teams compete in the bracket per Club site.
• Follow directions by NASEF’s tournament organizer and team.
• Adhere to all tournament rules as defined by NASEF.

NASEF will share any public and ongoing funding and sponsorship opportunities to Affiliates, however, budgeting and funding are the sole responsibility of the Affiliate.

NASEF encourages all Affiliates to organize programs, events, and competitions for their Clubs. In those instances where the Affiliate wants NASEF to sanction the program, event or competition, the Affiliate is required to complete the Affiliate Sanction Application. NASEF will review all Affiliate Sanction Applications within five business days. Only sanctioned NASEF programs, events and competitions may use the NASEF logo and trademark or language from NASEF on any website, social media, or other marketing materials. NASEF reserves the right to approve all Affiliate requests to ensure there are no conflicts of interest and to ensure adherence to NASEF’s mission, code of conduct and operational integrity.

A NASEF Affiliate is not required but certainly encouraged to participate in all NASEF tournaments and learning programs and activities. For example, for tournaments, you may wish to have an Affiliate bracket play into our North America tournament. NASEF will organize and manage your Affiliate bracket if your Affiliate meets our Affiliate tournament bracket. In other cases, you may organize and execute your own tournament.

For tournaments that you organize and that you want to use the NASEF logo, we ask that you complete our NASEF Affiliate tournament form [forthcoming]. All requests will be reviewed weekly and you should be given a response within 2-3 business days. Please know that NASEF cannot sanction tournaments with game titles that are outside our game approval process.

We can be contacted anytime at [email protected] or via our Discord server.