PokéSoc Beginnings

The UK's oldest known Pokémon Society began in Hull in 2010, followed shortly by York and Sheffield in 2012. These early societies were dedicated to growing their membership along with running socials and tournaments. Early signs of alliances were formed with Sheffield running a 24-hour event involving Leeds, and the historic Roses bout between York and Lancaster, but this was a mere prelude to what followed.

Sussex's Grand Idea

In January 2021, I-UPS all started with Sussex Pokésoc. We all know how hard Covid was, and university societies were hit hard too. From the struggles it brought, Sussex gained a mission. They wanted to find other Pokésocs around the UK, all in an effort to build an online community which supports fellow committees. Then-Treasurer Rob joined York’s Discord server and the first connection was made. A brand new server was created, and in came Durham, rounding out the three unis which laid the foundations for our initial leadership structure. UCL, Bristol, UEA, and a whole host of Pokésocs from around the UK stormed in as time went on, before everything started to become… a bit real.

Comté is Formed

With over a dozen fellow Pokésoc committees roaming the tall grass together in this new environment, we needed to have a Champion to lead us. Don’t worry, we weren’t so crude as to actually name ourselves after the Elite 4… An initial group of fourteen committee members from nine different societies was formed, and quickly got to work, moulding I-UPS further towards what can be found today. Why “Comté” though? Well, “Committee Committee” was a bit too long, so we shortened it to “Comtee”, but that was too close to our dear friend Combee! We didn’t want Combee to feel sad, so we added some flair with an accent - Comté!

The Discord Server

As more and more societies were in correspondance, it was apparent that a server merely for committees was limiting the potential of I-UPS' outreach; so, the server opened to all I-UPS society members in 2021.

The Official I-UPS Discord Server

With our Comté in place, and with over a dozen societies now involved and invested in our new community, it was time to take things public. Our doors opened to our societies’ members in late March 2021 with a Pixelmon server leading the festivities, until it closed its doors in January 2022. Keeping everything public has enabled us to connect with so many more people than we thought possible. We now have over 30 Pokésoc families under our umbrella, and we cherish each and every one.

The I-UPS Summer Draft League

Our flagship event, consisting of a Team Tour format, open to all members of IUPS, had its first rendition in the summer of 2021. 15 teams from 12 societies participated. Everyone battled hard, and a winner was eventually crowned: MewCL (UCL). We now host this annually, with more societies and teams joining every year!