We spoke with the British Army Esports team after their stay at our National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) in Sunderland led to them winning the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) Bowl VII tournament at San Diego Race Weekend.
The team – led by Capt Martin Dixon – bootcamped at our facilities to get some practice in ahead of the annual tournament, which sees teams from the US, Canadian and British Armed forces compete.
British Army Esports also stayed at our gaming houses, giving them the complete package to bootcamp and also have some downtime.
It’s the first time the British Army have won the CODE Bowl, with the Royal Air Force winning in 2025 and 2022 and the Royal Navy also taking part. The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit run by Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard to help veterans find careers and transition to civilian life following military service.
The British Army Esports team told British Esports after the win: “We’re proud to have won Code Bowl VII and are grateful to British Esports and the NEPC for providing the environment that helped us get there. It shows what dedicated UK esports infrastructure can do for teams.
“Winning Code Bowl VII was the culmination of months of hard work, and our time at the National Esports Performance Campus played a massive part in that success.”
“The facility enabled us to train together in one place, which is exactly what we needed to bring the trophy home for the British Army.
“From the moment we arrived, the support was excellent. Everything was set up and ready, the internet and PCs were rock-solid, and the environment helped us just get on with what we needed to do.
“We chose the National Esports Performance Campus as having stayed there previously for a training week, we understood the advantage that we would have again.
“As a military team balancing service commitments with competitive play, we needed a professional environment that offered both high-end gaming setups and comfortable accommodation under one roof.
“Above all of that, we really appreciate the facilities that you have. We had people travel from the top of Scotland and the bottom of England to compete against other service teams online from Sunderland.
“We have military esports hubs, but the opportunity that we have to train and compete from Sunderland is brilliant. The tech team that you have assisted us with any issues immediately.”
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The British Army Esports team
Capt Martin Dixon – Team manager
Team Alpha
Sgt Courtney Gell
Cpl Andrew Gibson – MVP
Cpl Aaron Longbottom
Team Bravo
SSgt Jonny Scott
Cpl Rhod Bradshaw
Cpl Kian Pentecost
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Book your stay at our National Esports Performance Campus here and see more about The Place accommodation and gaming houses here.
The news comes as British Esports marks Reserves Day and Armed Forces Day. Later this year, the inaugural International Defence Esports Games (IDEG) will run in Sunderland at our upcoming British Arena.