Williams Resolve are reportedly building an academy structure

Written By Elliot McSheen

UK based esports organization Williams Resolve are reportedly exploring the possibility of building an academy structure for players too young to compete in the RLCS. 

Williams Racing announced its partnership with Resolve Esports back in July 2021 and went on to sign the former Atlantide Wave roster of Thiméo "saizen" Corcuff, Andrea "radosin" Radovanović and Pierre "pryyme" Binet to compete in RLCS 2021-22. Now, the organization is looking to strengthen its commitment to the esport by building its own academy structure and providing young players with the necessary resources, training and support to make that step into the professional scene. 

Jeff Simpkins, Operations Director at Williams Resolve, looked to the example of traditional sports to support their academy endeavors. 

"An academy structure is something we've discussed for a little while. In traditional sports, it is extremely important; the players learn what is expected of them as professionals, rather than just being thrust into the spotlight when they go into the main team. We want to provide a similar experience to what we've also done in other esports and prepare players for the RLCS. Right now, we're looking at some young, talented players who aren't old enough to play in the RLCS, to nurture their development both in and out of the game. We've also just hired a new Head of Performance full time, who will focus on a lot of the stuff out of the game.” 

Alex 'AJ' Davies has been brought in as the new Head of Performance for Williams Resolve


The new Head of Performance for Williams Resolve will be focusing on improving the “diet, exercise and sleep” of its academy players, while helping the mental performance of its professionals to combat in-game anxiety, according to Jeff Simpkins. Those who sign with the organization will also have access to media training. 

Rocket League and nurturing its wonderkids

Emerging prodigies below the required age of entry for the RLCS are not a rarity in Rocket League Esports. Jason "Firstkiller" Corral, Andres "dreaz" Jordan and most recently Daniel "Daniel" Piecenski all competed in tournaments from a young age and made their debuts in the RLCS at fifteen years old. Even back in 2018, much of the scene waited for the debut of Kyle "Scrub Killa" Robertson, whose status as not only a SARPBC veteran but as one of the great wonderkids was well-known.

Now, in 2022, people are hotly anticipating the appearance of Oskar "Oski" Gozdowski, Tristan "Atow." Soyez and zen in the RLCS circuit. They will all become eligible to play in February. Yet, despite these talents emerging year in, year out, there is not much infrastructure in place outside of the RLCS for these young players to prepare for the professional lifestyle, something Williams Resolve seeks to fix. 

There is very little precedent for academy teams in Rocket League. Back in August 2021, Kansas City Pioneers signed Drali on a “multi-year deal” but parted ways with the youngster after just four months, citing that it was a “lot of things to juggle” for a thirteen year old.

Elsewhere in the scene, academy rosters have existed for a number of bubble organizations on the periphery, but their impact is minimal and Team Liquid have reportedly skipped a split to acquire the signatures of Oski and Atow before their fifteenth birthdays. To improve, young players have to play in minor tournaments outside the RLCS or commit to climbing the 6mans ladder, unaware of the challenges that may exist once they reach the summit of the professional scene. This will not change without the support of organizations like Williams Resolve, who have ample opportunity to place players in a professional environment from a younger age. 

Kansas City Pioneers part ways with Drali

Despite this, organizations have been comfortably recruiting young stars who have gone on to establish themselves as top tier professional players, even without support in their younger years. And although Williams Resolve may sign an academy roster, without competitions for these players to compete in, the work Williams Resolve puts into developing these talents may go to waste - especially if these players aren’t guaranteed a future place on the starting lineup. Finally, the logistics for signing players of such a young age seem difficult to navigate with parental guidance required. 

Examples of academy systems in other esports

In other esports, academy systems have come to flourish with many organizations buying into the idea. However, this faith often requires competitions for these organizations to participate in with their academy rosters. In 2021, Counter-Strike Global Offensive saw the emergence of the WePlay Academy League (produced by the same people who brought us the WePlay Invitational), which has proved to be a success in bringing forward younger talents who have gone on to play for a variety of tier-one organizations. In League of Legends, academy teams have been part of the ecosystem for over seven years, and though the system has a number of flaws, it has received palpable investment from Riot games. Both these esports accommodate a much older average professional and don’t have many players under the age of eighteen. In the case of Rocket League, we are eager and often not scared to promote younger players as soon as they can compete, a key difference. 

Over time, we’ll come to know how successful the Williams Resolve academy initiative can be. With the right scouting, they can surely find players who will progress rapidly under the initiative, and if others see a future in following the Williams Resolve model, they can further invest in the development of young players.

Elliot McSheen

Elliot "Sly" McSheen is a freelance writer and the occasional Rocket League Esports historian who has worked within the scene for four years on endemic projects such as Octane.gg and Rocket League 6mans. In RLCS Season 9 he became the official RLCS statistician for the season and continues to play with numbers to this day.

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