Today, the University of North Florida unveiled its new esports arena, the Flight Deck.
The Flight Deck is a multipurpose esports gaming arena that will serve as a center for competitive gaming and community engagement. Located on the second floor of the Student Union, the space features high-end gaming PCs, console stations and a dedicated broadcast room for livestreaming and media production.
At the Flight Deck’s grand opening, UNF Interim President Dr. Angela Garcia Falconetti and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan spoke, along with other members of the UNF and Jacksonville communities.
During the opening ceremony, Falconetti spoke about the Flight Deck’s ability to support and attract students.
“This is how great things happen for fine institutions like ours, partnerships in support of our students,” Falconetti said.
Faclonetti also said the esports arena will be able to bring attention to the university and city of Jacksonville through its events.
“I think it’s pretty fascinating that we’re going to be hosting several national and regional opportunities here. A lot of exposure for the city of Jacksonville, a lot of exposure for the University of North Florida,” said Falconetti.
Mayor Deegan also spoke at the event, mentioning the importance of investing in efforts that support economic and workforce development.
“It is about investing in the human capital and the future of economy, creating jobs, developing skills, and nurturing a rising e-sports industry that can diversify the region’s economy in a big, big way,” Deegan said.
About the Flight Deck
Less than a year after construction began, the Flight Deck is already open to students.
Last Spring, Mayor Deegan signed a bill establishing a $3 million endowment to help fund the Flight Deck.
The Flight Deck holds 42 PCs for student use, as well as during tournaments and events. The space also has stations with video game consoles for split-screen and cooperative gaming.
Mindy McLarty
Students gaming at the UNF Flight Deck, the university’s new esports arena.
Inside the arena is a broadcast room for streaming, recording and content production.
Tom Screech, the esports program manager, spoke with Spinnaker about the program before today’s grand opening.
Screech said teams for tournaments will most likely be picked based on the skill of players per game.
If a student is on the “varsity” esports team, Screech says that means they get a little more support than another student, similar to any other university athletics team.
“A varsity student here gets a jersey, they get coaching, they get support in other ways, they get a play up on the stage, they get their own spot, it’s kind of like getting a spot on a football team just with gaming,” Screech said.
For the first few weeks, Screech said the Flight Deck will be open during the day, but as a check-in system gets implemented, the space will stay open later in the evening.
Students are not the only people allowed to use the Flight Deck, either. Screech said anyone involved with the university is free to use the space.
Next to the Flight Deck is the Innovation Arena, a multipurpose auditorium that seats 240 people.
Esports at UNF
Will Raffier, the Flight Deck’s student program assistant, originally got involved in esports at UNF by joining the club three years ago.
Raffier, a multimedia journalism student, became the marketing manager of the Esports Club, then the president. As the president, Raffier was able to get involved with the UNF esports program and the Flight Deck.
He said he never imagined he would have the opportunity to pursue gaming or have a future career in the field, but the Flight Deck has made that possible.
“When I came to UNF, I didn’t really think that I was going to keep pursuing playing video games, even as a hobby. And now that it’s not only my job, but it’s something that I think could be a future career, is mind blowing,” Raffier said.
Raffier said the varsity team is currently made up of seven students for a game called Overwatch. Right now, the team is doing scrimmages and practicing against other schools.
In 2018, Spinnaker spoke with Luis Puesan, a former UNF student who formed the first esports club on campus eight years ago.
Then, he said at least 100 students would have an interest in esports at UNF. Today, what was once a small club interest has evolved into a full-scale esports arena.
A Place for All Students
While the Flight Deck was created with gaming primarily in mind, Screech says the place can be for all students, not just gamers.
“It’s not just for people that are on the varsity team or people that are creating content or people that know gaming,” Screech said. “I want people to come here that have never touched a game.”
Additionally, people can use the computers for more than just gaming. Screech said the computers can load Adobe applications, like Photoshop, for marketing students who want to make graphics or videos.
“The screens are incredibly high picture quality. If you want to come in and just watch Netflix, I’m super happy for you to do that,” Screech said.
Screech said one reason the Flight Deck is so important because it gives students access to video games and up-to-date technology.
“It’s allowing people to genuinely get access to video games because we should, right? Everyone has movies. Everyone can get books. Everyone should have access to be able to play the games they want,” said Screech.
Additionally Screech pointed out that because esports is fast-growing, students can gain skills, job opportunities, and exposure to the industry.
“I’m not saying that everyone is going to leave here and go and become a player and instantly get a job in esports,” said Screech. “But what you can go on and do is content create.”
Upcoming Events
Brian Verkamp, the university’s chief information officer and vice president of digital strategy, shared some upcoming events at the Flight Deck.
Duval County Cart Clash, March 7
The Duval County Cart Clash is a countywide Mario Kart 8 tournament open to all high school students. Verkamp said multiple high schools in Duval have already said they are attending.
Geoguesser Tournament, April 10
This event is in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville, Verkamp said. In Geoguesser, players are dropped in random place on Google Earth, and they must guess their location.
Fifty high schools have already signed up to participate, according to Verkamp.
Osprey Overwatch Invitational, April 11-12
This is a collegiate Overwatch 2 tournament featuring competitive esports teams from Florida universities competing against each other.
NACE 2026 Tournament, July
The National Association of Collegiate Esports, or NACE, is the largest collegiate esports organization in the country.
Verkamp said NACE chose to host their annual tournament and conference at UNF because of the Flight Deck.
“They were so impressed with what we’re doing here, they agreed that this is the location they want to host the 2026 NACE tournament,” Verkamp said.
___
For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected].