Leveling up: The meteoric rise of Cesafi Esports League in Cebu

Organizers and student volunteers behind the Cesafi Esports League pose for a group photo during the CEL pre-season tournament at the SM Seaside City Cebu. | Photo from Ryan Abarquez Balbuena

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) Esports League (CEL) is making its own name as one of the most popular sports in the Cesafi today.

Its meteoric rise in terms of popularity and magnitude is somehow comparable to Cesafi’s centerpiece sports like basketball and volleyball.

Although Esports is already extremely popular these days, the CEL is making its own name by gathering Cebu’s growing Esports community with top-notch organizing and broadcasting solely run by highly-enthusiastic student volunteers headed by its brainchild and tournament director Ryan Abarquez Balbuena.

READ: UCLM reigns supreme in Cesafi Esports League’s Valorant tourney

Recently, CEL held a massive tournament at SM Seaside City Cebu, marking a significant milestone in its ascension.

What makes this even more remarkable is that the tournament was merely a pre-season event, not the regular season that will unfold next month.

Yet, it drew a massive turnout in both participation and audience.

READ: USJ-R lords Cesafi Esports League’s MLBB Pre-Season tilt

The Mountain Wing Area of SM Seaside City Cebu was packed with supporters from the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), University of San Carlos (USC), and University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu Mandaue (UCLM), alongside enthusiastic esports fans.

Notably, CEL is unique among Cesafi’s 15 sports, as it is the only one whose pre-season tournaments were entirely organized by its own staff.

In contrast, basketball was backed by a private entity and only featured the high school division.

READ: All-Cebuana Esports team reaping success on MLBB world stage

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

CEL’s journey began two years ago, thanks to the vision of Balbuena, the youngest Cesafi official.

Balbuena takes pride in the fact that CEL is run entirely by over 70 volunteer students coming from various Cesafi member schools. These volunteers share his passion for delivering top-notch sports coverage to Cebuano fans.

Balbuena remains astounded by CEL’s rapid success since it was officially introduced as one of Cesafi’s newest sports in 2022, the latter’s official return after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ: Cesafi Esports League: USJ-R, UCLM beat foes over the weekend

“The CEL has grown tremendously from its first season to today. This pre-season, we have over 70 dedicated student volunteers working diligently to deliver high-quality broadcasts of our games,” Balbuena told CDN Digital.

He credited the consistent improvement in organizing and broadcasting CEL games to this passionate group of volunteers.

“This pre-season, we are more organized than before, thanks to the increased number of student volunteers. Initially, I organized most of it myself, but now it has truly become a league for students, by students,” Balbuena said.

In fact, the Cesafi Esports League predates the newly introduced UAAP Esports tournament this month.

MASSIVE SUCCESS

So, what’s the secret behind CEL’s massive success?

Balbuena attributes it to the support of Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy Jr., a traditional sportsman who embraced this innovative approach despite his unfamiliarity with esports.

This backing was crucial in a league known for its mainstream sports like basketball and volleyball.

Balbuena also received full support from the athletic directors of Cesafi member schools.

One of the highlights during the CEL Season 2 finals at the IEC convention center. | CEL photo

CEL’s finals was so monumental that it was held at the IEC Convention Center, drawing national attention and several esports personalities from Manila.

The event was nothing short of grand, featuring various side events such as cosplay, exhibition tournaments, and other esports-related activities.

ULTIMATE GOAL

Following CEL’s massive success, Balbuena has slightly shifted the league’s ultimate goals.

“Initially, my goal for CEL was for esports to be recognized as a legitimate sporting event in schools. Now, I aim to create a stronger grassroots community for esports and hopefully produce players who will represent our country internationally,” Balbuena said.

Balbuena is also committed to making CEL more inclusive by introducing a female division in the Valorant exhibition games, one of the two esports featured in CEL alongside Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

This plan follows the recent success of the all-Cebuana group, Smart Omega Empress, in the world championships held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“We want to promote gender inclusivity in esports, which is why we organized a Valorant girls’ exhibition match during the pre-season finals. We hope to continue this initiative. Additionally, we aim to provide a platform for cosplayers to showcase their skills and represent their schools,” he said.

Lastly, he promises Cebu’s esports community that they will continue to deliver top-notch CEL broadcasts in the upcoming Cesafi season.