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 the 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.
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 league is offered to Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools at no additional 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, Rocket League and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Rocket League teams are composed of 2 Special Olympics athletes and 1 Unified partner. Rocket League is rated E for everyone and is available to play for free on a variety of gaming consoles and personal computers (PC). Schools can have multiple Unified teams participate.
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. Schools can have multiple Unified teams participate.
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, LA, MA, MI, MO, MS, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OK, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI.
Other states are to be added in the future!
Regardless of how a team participates, all coaches will have access to PlayVS training and tech support!
Spring 2024 Season - Key Info
Mario Kart 8
3 League Options:
Match Day: Wednesdays
Match Time:
4 pm EST East League,
4:30 PM CST / 3:30 MST Central League
4 pm PST West League
Each school determines which league time they prefer during enrollment.
Rocket League
3 League Options:
Match Day: Thursday
Match Times:
4 pm EST East League,
4:30 pm CST / 3:30 pm MST Central League,
4 pm PST West League
Each school determines which league time they prefer during enrollment.
Coach Training Webinars
Intro to Esports and PlayVS
Schedule
Enrollment opens 11/14/23
Registration deadline: 2/16/24 (at 11:59 PM league time)
Preseason: Weeks of 2/5/24 & 2/12/24
Regular Season: Weeks of 2/19/24 - 4/8/24
Playoffs: Weeks of 4/15/24 - 4/26/24
Fall Championships: Week of 4/29/24
Playoffs
ALL teams enrolled and actively participating teams with 3 or fewer forfeits during the regular season will receive an invite to the playoffs. Standings from the regular season will determine which division a team falls into and its seeding in that division.
Top 8 4/17/24 (Mario Kart), 4/18/24 Rocket League)
Top 4 4/24/24 (Mario Kart), 4/25/24 (Rocket League)
Spring 2024 Championships: 5/1/24 Mario Kart, 5/2/24 Rocket League
Equipment Requirements
Mario Kart - Teams of 4 (2 Special Olympics athletes + 2 Unified partners)
Minimum (Total of 2x Nintendo Switches)
1x Nintendo Switch System & Monitor/Television per 2 players
1x Nintendo Switch-compatible controller per player
1x Pair of Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, or any Nintendo Switch compatible controller with no turbo mode available per player
1x Active Nintendo Switch Online membership per Nintendo Switch system
1x Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe Game per Nintendo Switch system
Suggested (Total of 4x Nintendo Switches)
1x Nintendo Switch System & Monitor/Television per player
1x Nintendo Switch-compatible controller per player
1x Pair of Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, or any Nintendo Switch compatible controller with no turbo mode available per player
1x USB to Ethernet Adapter per Nintendo Switch system
1x Active Nintendo Switch Online membership per Nintendo Switch system (
1x Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe Game per Nintendo Switch system
Access to standard high-speed internet is also important as well as working with the school/district IT department to ensure the proper restrictions are removed to allow for students to play online if they are competing at school.
Rocket League - Teams of 3 (2 Special Olympics athletes + 1 Unified partner)
Minimum (Total of 2x Consoles or 2 PCs)
1x console (Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4) or PC & Monitor/Television per 2 players
1x compatible controller (console or PC) or 1 keyboard & mouse per player (PC)
1x Online Membership IF on console (Free versions)
Xbox Live Silver
Nintendo Online,
PlayStation Online
Epic Account
1x Rocket League Game per console or PC (Free download)
Suggested (Total of 3x Consoles or 3 PCs)
1x console (Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4) or PC & Monitor/Television per player
1x compatible controller (console or PC) or 1 keyboard & mouse per player (PC)
1x Online Membership (Free versions)
Xbox Live
Nintendo Online,
PlayStation Online
Epic Account (PC)
1x Rocket League Game per console or PC (Free download)
Access to standard high-speed internet is also important as well as working with the school/district IT department to ensure the proper restrictions are removed to allow for students to play online if they are competing at school.
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, 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 High School Bobcats - Unified Gold
Doing so is very important for us to be able to confirm your intention to participate in our Unified league!
Expectations
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
Coach Responsibilities:
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 positive team culture
NOTE: previous esports coaching experience is helpful, but not required!
Rules & Sportsmanship
Rocket League Rule and requirements
Unified will follow the Rocket League Game Day Protocol and Rocket League Rulebook.
The in-game ratio of teammates is:
2 Special Olympics athletes (students with an intellectual or developmental disability) and 1 Unified partner (student without an intellectual or developmental disability)
If a team cannot field all 3 players with this ratio, please reschedule, or talk with the opposing coach to drop the match to 2v3 and play with 1 athlete/1 partner.
Note: 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 Rules and Requirements
Unified will follow the Mario Kart Game Day Protocol andMario Kart Rulebook.
The in-game ratio of teammates is:
2 Special Olympics athletes (students with an intellectual or developmental disability) and 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 at athlete/1 partner.
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 Rocket League players are typically not a good fit to participate as a teammate 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.
Additional Resources
Mario Kart
Rocket League
League Info Links
General info landing page: https://www.playvs.com/so-unified
Contact Info
Aaron Kelley, PlayVS - aaron.kelley@playvs.com