Rocket League Esports and financial services company Ally Financial have announced the Ally Women’s Open, a new women’s tournament featuring Rocket League.
The Ally Women’s Open, which is part of a wider partnership between the two parties, will take place in March with a $40,000 (~£33,000) prize pool spread equally across Europe and North America.
The Ally Women’s Open will be produced by women’s esports platform Raidiant, and led by an all-female management team. The tournament marks Ally’s first involvement in esports, and is part of its pledge to split its media spend equally 50/50 across men’s and women’s sports — including esports.
The tournament starts on March 26th and is set to be broadcast on Rocket League’s official Twitch channel, which will likely provide a boost to visibility and viewership. While it was not confirmed, streams on the official Rocket League Esports Twitch channel often have drops enabled, meaning viewers are eligible to earn in-game items for watching, which also typically aids viewership.
The collaboration comes as part of a wider sponsorship deal between Ally and Rocket League Esports for the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS), first revealed in February 2023 but not detailed until now.
That partnership sees Ally become an official sponsor of the North American RLCS, and also includes branding in RLCS broadcasts during the Winter and Spring splits. It includes ad buys and broadcast integrations during RLCS North America livestreams, as well as inclusion in the league’s associated social campaigns.
The sponsorship will also include segments to help elevate amateur and semi-pro players, known as the ‘bubble’ scene in Rocket League, through a Community Empowerment campaign with Rocket League Esports.
The campaign seeks to expose newer players to talent scouts in an effort to lead to opportunities in the RLCS in the future. More details on the Bubble tournaments included in the sponsorship will be shared soon, according to a release.
The Ally Women’s Open tournament comes after a turbulent month for Women’s Car Ball, the largest and previously only consistent women’s tournament circuit in Rocket League.
Women’s Car Ball was recently purchased by esports organisation G1 from its previous owner KC Pioneers, who Esports Insider reported had failed to pay any of its staff since buying the league.
Bridget Sponsky, Executive Director of Brand and Partnerships at Ally, commented: “Investment in all sports, including esports, has long been biased towards men’s competition. To address this inequity, we’ve made a pledge to reach equal media spend across men’s and women’s sports over the next five years because we believe there should be a level playing field for all athletes – whether on the field, the racetrack, or in gaming.
“This sponsorship gives us a way to engage with the fans and players of a massively popular industry, while providing increased exposure and income opportunities for the incredibly talented female competitors.”
Ally Financial is a New York Stock Exchange-listed (NYSE: ALLY) financial services company which runs an all-digital bank and an auto financing business. The company claims to serve more than 11 million customers through a range of online banking services, securities brokerage and investment advisory services.
