The National E-Sports League is a series of national gaming leagues where competitive play is promoted on two platforms: Online Leagues and Arena Leagues. Arenas are LAN Game Center based - that's where we come in. Net Heads has been selected as the only National E-Sports Arena in Indiana.

Net Heads is in the North Region of the Central Division of the Arena Leagues. Each league is focused on a single game including: Counter-Strike: 1.6, Counter-Strike:Source and Call of Duty. So there will be three leagues playing this summer.

There is pre-season play, season long competitions and then post season play. The collective cash purse is over $80,000! To show they're serious, the NEL already had a $30,000 kick off tournament last weekend. You probably could have won, but you slept in.

The latest NEL Bulletin can be found here.

There are Professional and Semi-Professional divisions. Semi-Pro is cheaper than Pro, but the prizes are smaller and you don't get to wear the green jacket to dinner with Tiger. It's just a matter of ego, wallet and skills. They've also allowed at least two players to play remotely so it will be easier to get dispersed clans involved for the first season.

Matches are scheduled for the same time and same day each week, so you can make whatever excuses you need to at work, home or with the warden just one time for the whole season.

Cost of the league includes the pre-season play, the 12 week season and the post-season play. Time on Net Heads machines during the scheduled matches is free. Do the math and you're paying less than $3 an hour to compete for fun and money. We also plan to run a SPECIAL for league members on the night of the matches for $10 from 6pm to close. Even more crazy, the CS:Source Arena League is completely free, which means you can join and play matches at Net Heads without ever paying a penny!!

The last day for signups is June 3rd. Get a team, get signed up, have fun.

Registration is now open. Pre-season play starts the week of June 6th.

Executive summary: The NEL has put together three leagues for play this summer: Counter-Strike: 1.6, Counter-Strike:Source and Call of Duty. The prizes are serious and the value for your dollar is out of sight. They start soon and you should join ASAP.

Our analysis: Much of the cash in this league is based on LAN center play, meaning the online, impossible-to-beat, probably hacking anyway, no-lifers and their soul-less, colluding clanmates are out of the loop. Fair play is in, hax0rs are 0ut.

Don't think you have what it takes to play on a competitive level?  Don't worry, there will be plenty of other
teams with little to no experience in this type of competition.  With a 12 week season there will be plenty of time to improve. At least one Net Heads Call of Duty team has already registered! Recent rule changes have made it easier than ever to get a team together. Be sure to check out the latest info on the NEL website.

Pesky details: This league is run by the NEL, not Net Heads. You pay them, register with them and they schedule the matches, make the rules and arbitrate the disputes. We are only the Arena. On the other hand, we think this could be great fun and since the value is high, there's little risk in taking a chance and having a great time this summer.

Bowling leagues are for fat, old guys in cheesy shirts and stinky shoes. This league is for real.