Two North American esports companies, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Esports (ECAC) and the Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG), have announced an All-Star VALORANT women’s tournament set to take place this September.
The tournament, named the ECAC Esports Women’s All-Star Showcase, will see eight teams consisted of high-ranked college VALORANT players compete. There is no prize pool for the tournament.
CSMG is an esports-focused media and entertainment company behind collegiate esports streaming platform EsportsU. The company also provides intellectual property rights management, licensing, sponsorship and branding for esports brands.
Meanwhile, ECAC is an athletic college conference consisting of more than 200 schools across three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) divisions. ECAC Esports is the newest addition to the organisation, focusing on collegiate esports tournaments. It currently sees more than 800 teams participate in its events on a regular basis.
The ECAC Esports Women’s All-Star Showcase was created as a way to present the skills of female VALORANT players and further spotlight women in esports.
According to Dan Coonan, Commissioner and CEO of ECAC, the main idea was to gather high-profile collegiate players for a single event, make for interesting matchups, and prove there are skilled competitors ready to go pro.
Players participating in the event come from colleges including Pace University, University of South Florida, St. Peter’s University, John Jay College, and Wayne State College.
The tournament has enlisted former CS:GO pro player Heather ‘sapphiRe’ Garozzo, Vice President of Dignitas and Founder of Raidiant, to welcome players and host the opening ceremony.
Garozzo commented: “To be a part of this tournament is a priceless moment and another step in the right direction for women in esports. I’m envious that this type of initiative didn’t exist when I was in college, but I’m thrilled to see the progress towards a diverse esports ecosystem.
“It’s great to see that at least now, not only organisations but the community as a whole can see that a drastically increasing number of women will be included in the next generation of talented gamers.”
