DALLAS, TX -- XP League, the first esports franchise in North America, is gearing up to host its 2022 North American Finals at the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress Esports Arena and Full Sail Live Venue, June 25 -26, 2022. In partnership with Full Sail University, the top 48 XP League teams, coaches, franchise owners and families will come together for the largest in-person youth esports tournament in North America.

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The event kicks off Saturday, June 25 at 8 a.m. with a welcoming ceremony for players, teams, coaches, and parents. The ceremony will be opening the day's tournament events where play begins promptly at 9 a.m. The second and final day of the tournament is on Sunday, June 26 with play beginning at 9 a.m. and concluding the weekend's event with the closing and trophy ceremony. The event will be live-streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/xpleague.

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In partnering with Full Sail University, the weekend's events will include regularly scheduled tours where families can learn more about its award-winning education program in esports, entertainment, media, arts and technology. In celebration of the finals, XP League is offering participants, families, and guests discounted attraction tickets to Universal Studios and food trucks, vendor booths with mementos, player gear and merch will be available throughout the weekend.

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CEO and co-founder, Jay Melamed created XP League after seeing his own children's range of interest in traditional youth sports and unified love for video games. He soon realized the lack of structure and guidance in esports and decided to blend concepts of traditional youth sports with video games.

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"We are so excited to host this tremendous event for all our players and their families. There's nowhere else kids can experience this sort of in-person competition that makes them truly feel like a professional gamer with all of the hype that comes with a huge national event like this," said Melamed.

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Launched in 2020, XP League offers a nine-week seasonal program including one practice and one match a week. Each team is led by a coach who focuses on teaching resiliency, teamwork and sportsmanship in addition to gaming skills to elementary, middle and high school students. By integrating these values into the core format of its programming, kids see the positive reward as an exciting part of the overall experience.

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XP League is the first esports organization to officially partner with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), where its coaches are Double-Goal certified and set a standard for competitive youth gaming. Since its start in 2020, XP League has grown to more than 30 franchised locations across the country and in April 2022 was acquired by Unleashed Brands, the fast-growing parent company of youth enrichment franchise brands, including Urban Air Adventure Park, The Little Gym, Snapology, Premier Martial Arts and Class 101.

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For more information about XP League and its upcoming 2022 North American Finals, visit https://www.xpleague.com/.