Competitive:EndGame Splatoon Premier League

The EndGame Splatoon Premier League (eSPL) is a competitive Splatoon league.

Format
The eSPL consists of 16 invited teams, split into two conferences (Kid and Squid). Each team plays a round robin schedule of seven fixtures in four weeks. Each match is a best-of-6 with a best-of-3 overtime where necessary.

After the regular season, the top half of the league is seeded into playoffs, while the bottom half must play the winners of an open tournament to remain in the league. The first such tournament, InkCage, was held on March 5th-6th, 2016 to take in eight teams.

History
The EndGame Splatoon Premier League was mooted as early as the fall of 2015, and the Inkstorm tournament series was held in preparation for it, with the top 8 teams intended to be invited into the league. However, changes in squad composition and the disbandment of BMT and Exultance Gaming, among others, required some other teams to be invited (such as NIS); the demise of Omohide spurred an additional four-team playoff, held on March 11th, to select a 16th and final team.

While the first league casts are to be held on March 18th and 19th, the first league match took place on March 15, 2016, and saw Squids Next Door defeat Koopa Clan in a full-length overtime by a 5-4 score.