Southwest Schools Showcase 2026 esports tournament brings local schools together, secures ITV coverage

More than 100 students from across the West Country took part in an esports tournament at Teignmouth Community School in Devon last week.

The Southwest Schools Showcase 2026 – the biggest student esports event of its kind in the region – hosted tournaments in Rocket League, F1, FC 26 and Fortnite.

Teignmouth Community School esports students delivered the event on February 26th to highlight how esports can bring together students of different ages and backgrounds from a wide range of schools, offering an inclusive tournament where everyone can compete on equal terms.

This was the second Southwest School Showcase following last year’s inaugural event, and it has grown significantly, from six schools competing in a single game title last year to 10 schools taking part across four titles this year.

This year, Teignmouth said it also placed a strong emphasis on engaging more girls in esports, with multiple schools entering all-girl teams in Rocket League and Fortnite.

The school said it’s also in process of setting up a Southwest Schools esports hub on Discord, so that schools in the region can support each other and begin dialogue about setting up, making local contacts and setting up informal scrims between schools.

All the schools that took part are now looking into the logistics of running esports activities in their own schools.

Teignmouth Community School in Devon, which offers the BTEC esports qualification, also had ITV Westcountry in to make a news segment on the event, which you can see below.

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“For our students, organising the showcase provided an invaluable opportunity to develop a wide range of skills, from pitching for sponsorship and navigating licensing processes to transporting equipment, setting up the technical and network infrastructure, and taking on high pressure media and customer facing roles on the day,” Teignmouth Community School said in a statement.

“While the event was a success, it did come with its share of technical hiccups. Our students demonstrated impressive resilience and determination, solving issues where possible and adapting quickly when circumstances required it.

“Overall, the event was a tremendous success, showcasing a high level of competitive play across all tournaments.”

“Seeing schools field teams of all ages reinforced the inclusivity and accessibility of esports as an activity, and it was inspiring to witness the enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship displayed by all participants.”

The event was a part of the students’ coursework, and the event also secured sponsorship from local businesses.

Rosie Oates, a 6th form student at Teignmouth Community School, said: “Last night we worked so hard on setting it all up, getting it all ready, and to see it actually in action and to see people playing the games and enjoying themselves is amazing, I love it.”

Michael Feeney, head of vocational computing and esports at Teignmouth Community School, added: “We’ve got a variety of schools here, we’ve got boys schools, comprehensive schools, and schools with students that have additional learning needs, and they’re able to play on a level playing field, because unlike traditional sports, your ability to game is not dependent on your age, or your physical stature or anything else other than how you can use that controller.”

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Southwest Schools Showcase 2026 results and winners

Rocket League Supersonic Showcase

• Winners – Haygrove School
• 2nd – West Exe School
• 3rd – Teign School

Fortnite Reload Rumble

• Winners – West Exe School
• 2nd – Teignmouth Community School (T6 Esports)
• 3rd – Devonport High School for Boys

Nevada F1 Hotlap Challenge

• Winner – Devonport High School for Boys
• 2nd – Teignmouth Community School (T6 Esports)

Nevada FC26 Challenge Cup

• Winner – Teignmouth Community School (T6 Esports)
• 2nd – Devonport High School for Boys

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More info on the schools that took part

• Devonport High School for Boys (Plymouth, Grammar School) – Never did esports before but is now developing esports capacity as a club as a result
• Haygrove school (Somerset) – Developed an esports club in order to take part in last year’s event, entered the British Esports Student Champs this year as a result
• West Exe (Devon) – Have esports as an elective, never participated in a LAN before
• Teign School (Devon) – Developed an esports club on the back of taking part in last year’s event
• Cullumpton College (Devon) – First time taking part, looking at developing their esports capacity going forward
• Avanti Park School  (Somerset) – First time taking part, fielded a Women in Esports Rocket League team, looking to develop capacity going forward
• Uffculme School – Set up esports as a result of last year’s event, fielded a Women in Esports Rocket League Team
• Southbrook School (Exeter, School for students with complex needs) – investigating esports capacity going forward
• Glendinning Academy (Devon, School for students with Social interaction and communication needs) – offer the Esports BTEC on their curriculum

Congratulations to everyone who took part and good luck for future Showcase events!