PlayVS Partnership
In September 2021, PlayVS launched a national partnership with Special Olympics North America. The partnership is focused on growing Special Olympics Unified esports, which combines students with intellectual disabilities (Special Olympics athletes) and students without intellectual disabilities (Unified partners) on inclusive esports teams. Through strategic and innovative collaboration, PlayVS will serve as the official operator for the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® national high school esports league in the US.
Regardless of how a team participates, all coaches will have access to PlayVS training and tech support!
Nintendo Switch Bundles Promotion
This Fall season, we are offering all Unified Championship Schools both at the High school and middle school the ability to request up to 2 Nintendo Switch bundles, which include 2 consoles, 2 extra controllers, 2 LAN adapters, 2 copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and 2 Nintendo Online One-Year Memberships.
To be eligible for the bundles, you must be competing in our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and have not received a bundle from us in the past. Schools interested in claiming this offer must first enroll a Mario Kart 8 team in our Fall season and then fill out our Fall 2025 Nintendo Bundle Application form.
High School Details
How it Works
A Unified esports option has been integrated into PlayVS. Unified teams will register, enroll, and participate using the existing processes in place. The Unified Leagues are offered to Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools at no cost.
All teams must be high school-based, and have an adult head coach with all participants being at least 13 years of age or older. Teams may participate at school or virtually from home. For the fall season, schools will have the ability to compete in 2 titles:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Composed of 2 Special Olympics athletes and 2 Unified partners.
Unified partners should not also be on a varsity team.
Rated E for everyone, and can be played on Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 consoles.
Schools can have multiple Unified teams participate.
Rocket League
Composed of 1 Special Olympics athlete and 1 Unified partner.
Unified partners should not also be on a varsity team.
Is rated E for everyone and is available to download and play for free on a variety of gaming consoles and personal computers (PC).
Compatible devices include:
Nintendo Switch and Switch 2
Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
PlayStation 4 & 5
PC
Schools can have multiple Unified teams participate.
The Special Olympics Unified League is available for Unified Champion Schools in the following states: AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, & WV. Other states are to be added in the future!
Fall Season - Key Info
Each school determines which league time they prefer during enrollment.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
2 League Options:
Match Day | League | Match Time |
Wednesdays |
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Rocket League Duos
2 League Options:
Match Day | League | Match Time |
Thursdays |
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Schedule
Enrollment is open now! Registration deadline: 9/19/2025 (11:59 PM league time).
All schools will play a total of 7 matches over 8 weeks. Schools will select 1 week as part of their Break Week Inclusion. There will be no matches scheduled for the school’s selected break week across all enrolled esport titles.
Event | Date |
Preseason | Weeks 9/8/2025 and 9/15/2025 |
Regular Season | Weeks 9/22/2025 - 11/10/2025 |
Playoffs | Weeks 11/17/2025 -12/5/2025 |
Championships | Week of 12/8/2025 |
Holiday Breaks
Holiday | Date |
Indigenous People’s Day | 10/13/2025 (Monday) |
Veterans Day | 11/11/2025 (Tuesday) |
Thanksgiving | Full Week of 11/24/25 |
Playoffs - New for Fall ‘25!
Starting this Fall, Unified High School leagues will follow the same standard playoffs structure as all other PlayVS High School leagues. There will be a single bracket per league, and size will be determined based on the number of eligible teams competing in the league.
Playoff eligibility will be determined based on regular season standings and is not guaranteed for every team.
Important Details:
Any team that forfeits three (3) or more regular season matches will not be eligible for the Playoffs or Championships.
Playoff start dates & times may vary per league based on factors like bracket size, state league accommodations, broadcast accommodations, or game launch accommodations.
More specific playoff information will be found in PlayVS on your Schedule page midway through the regular season.
Winning teams may also be required to play multiple times in a week as they progress through the Playoffs.
Only up to 2 teams per school per league will be allowed to qualify for the playoffs.
Due to the length of period for playoffs to take place before finals, Playoff matches will occur on different days of the week than the regular season.
Equipment Requirements
Access to standard high-speed internet is important. Work with your school and/or district IT department to ensure the proper restrictions are removed to allow for students to play online if they are competing at school.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Team Size - 4 |
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Minimum Requirements - 2x total Nintendo Switches |
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Suggested - 4x total Nintendo Switches |
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Rocket League Duos
Team Size - 2 |
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Rocket League Duos teams for these leagues must have two (2) active players (athlete + Unified partner) at all times in order to compete.
Minimum Requirements - 1x total console or PC Splitscreen |
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Suggested - 2x total consoles or PCs |
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Middle School Details
How it Works
A Unified esports option has been integrated into PlayVS. Unified teams will register, enroll, and participate using the existing processes in place. The Unified Leagues are offered to Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools at no cost.
All teams must be middle school-based, and have an adult head coach. Parents of players under the age of 13 will be required to create a PlayVS account in order for their kids to participate in our Middle School leagues.
Our pilot middle school league:
Is a recreational league that is a non-competitive environment where teams learn the basics of gameplay and teamwork.
Is available for teams who can participate at school or virtually from home.
Does not have playoffs or championships.
Will consist of only recreational leagues, with a 2-week Preseason and 11-week Regular Season.
Allows schools to have multiple Unified teams participate in.
Has open enrollment throughout the season.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe teams are composed of 2 Special Olympics athletes and 2 Unified partners. Mario Kart 8 is rated E for everyone and is played only on Nintendo Switch consoles. This game title is available to purchase on Nintendo’s online store and at various big retailers.
Fall Season - Key Info
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Match Day | League | Match Time |
Thursdays |
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Schedule
Enrollment is open now! Registration deadline: 12/12/2025 (11:59 PM league time).
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Event | Date |
Preseason | Weeks of 9/8/2025 and 9/15/2025 |
Regular Season | Weeks of 9/22/2025 - 12/8/2025 |
There are no playoffs or championships for Middle School leagues.Holiday Breaks
Holiday | Date |
Indigenous People’s Day | 10/13/2025 (Monday) |
Veterans Day | 11/11/2025 (Tuesday) |
Thanksgiving | Full Week of 11/24/25 |
Equipment Requirements
Access to standard high-speed internet is important. Work with your school/district IT department to ensure the proper restrictions are removed to allow for students to play online if they are competing at school.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Team Size - 4 |
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Minimum Requirements - 2x total Nintendo Switches |
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Suggested - 4x total Nintendo Switches |
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Middle School Parent Setup Guide
Parents of players under the age of 13 will be required to create a PlayVS account in order for their kids to participate in our Middle School leagues. To comply with COPPA, parents must complete the following:
Create a PlayVS account.
Complete our verification process to create an account for their children participating in middle school leagues.
View the Middle School Parent Setup Guide for details on how to create a parent account.
Rules and Expectations
Team Naming
During enrollment, the coach will need to create team names for each team they enroll. Please use the following naming convention:
School name
Mascot
The term “Unified”
For example, the Central High School Bobcats would use this name:
Central High School Bobcats - Unified
If a school has more than one team, please add a number, letter, or color after “Unified” to delineate, for example:
Central High School Bobcats - Unified Green
Central Middle School Bobcats - Unified Gold
Using these naming conventions is very important for us to be able to confirm your intention to participate in our Unified league!
Expectations
PlayVS
PlayVS will provide the following:
Direct support to Unified esports coaches with enrollment, team setup, technology troubleshooting, and league support/guidance throughout the entire season.
Educational materials and webinars for coaches.
Weekly email for Unified coaches with league updates (during each season).
Weekly email for Special Olympics Program staff with league updates and the current list of enrolled schools for that season.
Scheduling of all matches and playoffs.
The publishing of league standings & results.
Broadcasting playoff finals.
Coaches
Coach responsibilities include the following:
Attend training sessions conducted by PlayVS.
Register the school/team on PlayVS by the season’s enrollment deadline.
Recruit at least one team for Rocket League or Mario Kart.
Commitment to a full season of weekly matches & practices (if participating in league option, 10-12 weeks, 2-4 hours a week).
Ensuring all teammates are equipped with the required technology per esport.
Work with school IT and/or other school esports coaches.
Support students with getting registered on PlayVS and organizing them into teams.
Communication with other coaches on match day and for rescheduling.
Support players with match-day readiness and logistics.
Provide adult oversight during all practices/matches and set a positive team culture.
Previous esports coaching experience is helpful, but not required!
Meaningful involvement & sportsmanship
All coaches shall work to achieve meaningful involvement for all students on both teams.
The principle of meaningful involvement ensures that every player is given an opportunity to contribute to the success of his or her team through their unique skills and abilities.
To the greatest extent possible, all players on a team should be within a similar ability range.
To avoid player domination, varsity-level or other highly skilled players are typically not a good fit to participate as teammates in this league.
Please keep sportsmanship in mind and know that each team has very different experience levels with Unified esports.
Unified Esports coaches must follow the general PlayVS Coach Code of Conduct.
There are no scoring restrictions or other modifications for Unified partners, however, coaches are expected to adhere to good sportsmanship and the Special Olympics philosophy of meaningful involvement.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Unified will follow the Mario Kart Match Instructions and Mario Kart Rulebook.
The in-game ratio of teammates is:
2 Special Olympics athletes
Students with an intellectual or developmental disability.
2 Unified partners
Students without an intellectual or developmental disability.
If a team cannot field all 4 players with this ratio, please reschedule, or talk with the opposing coach to drop the match to 4v3 and play with 2 athletes/1 partner.
Rocket League
Unified will follow the Rocket League Match Instructions and Rocket League Rulebook.
The in-game ratio of teammates is:
1 Special Olympics athletes
Students with an intellectual or developmental disability.
1 Unified partners
Students without an intellectual or developmental disability.
If a team cannot field both 2 players with this ratio, please reschedule as teams cannot play a match without a full team.
Additional Resources
Resource | Details |
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | |
Rocket League | |
League information | |
Contact |
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