A new esports and gaming event, PHASE 2025, is set to launch at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium this September, hosting the first-ever Scottish Schools Rocket League Challenge invitational. The initiative, created by eRena Sports, aims to celebrate the synergy between education, industry, and esports, beginning with regional qualifiers for secondary school students in the Scottish Borders and Fife.
The qualifiers will see secondary school students aged 12-16 compete in teams of three, with four high schools from the Scottish Borders and four from Dunfermline taking part in this inaugural competition. The Scottish Borders qualifier is scheduled for September 2, 2025, followed by the Fife qualifier on September 5, 2025. The top four teams from each region will then advance to a live finals event at Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday, September 27, 2025, to compete for the title of regional champion.
This school-focused tournament is a key part of the larger PHASE 2025 event, which aims to engage educators, industry professionals, students, and esports fans. The event kicks off on Friday, September 26, with an Esports and Industry Summit featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities focused on the impact of esports.
Over the weekend of September 27-28, the stadium will transform into an Esports and Gaming Festival. Attendees can expect live esports finals, interactive workshops on content creation and streaming, and exhibitors showcasing gaming merchandise, simulation rigs, and virtual reality experiences.
The initiative has been warmly welcomed by local education leaders. Paul Graham, Development Officer at Scottish Borders Council, commented:
We’ve seen how esports can switch something on for young people who might not connect with more traditional activities. It creates a clear link between something they enjoy and real career paths in technology, design, and media. Taking part in PHASE 2025 is a chance for our pupils to compete at a high level and see where their interests could take them.
Sandy Mcintosh, Rector of Woodmill High School, added:
We are really pleased to be hosting the regional qualifier for Phase 2025 at the Dunfermline Learning Campus, a campus that we want to support new technologies and collaborative working. Taking part in the Rocket Leagues qualifiers will be an incredible opportunity and experience for the young people of Dunfermline, not just to showcase their gaming skills, but to develop teamwork, strategic thinking and resilience. Esports is proving to be a powerful, and popular, platform for learning.
David Hamilton, Founder and Chairman of eRena Sports, summarised the vision for the event:
PHASE 2025 represents an exciting opportunity for our young talents to showcase their skills on a grand stage. It not only highlights the potential of esports as a competitive platform but also emphasises the importance of collaboration and innovation in education. We are proud to support these initiatives that inspire our youth and open pathways to future careers in the gaming and technology sectors.
The Scottish Schools Rocket League Championships is just one element of PHASE 2025 – another exciting addition to the calendar of games-related events taking place in Scotland over the course of September 2025 and a welcome new initiative connecting education with the wider games and esports ecosystem.
For more details, you can visit www.phase25.co.uk.