Tabitha ‘Tabby’ Cole is a UK/Finnish League of Legends support player, and one of several women on Fourth Wall’s academy roster playing in NLC Division 3. She caught up with Esports News UK editor Dom Sacco in this bitesize interview on the female League of Legends scene following Fourth Wall’s first live event at Staffordshire University London last month.
The female League of Legends scene has evolved in recent years to include more tournaments such as Rising Stars and GirlGamer Festival, and more women are playing in EMEA Regional Leagues (ERLs) than before. But it doesn’t yet have a top tier official regular circuit like Valorant Game Changers.
For Tabby, the progress is visible, but more can be done.
“I think that the female League of Legends scene has become much better than it used to be, but it still has a long way to go,” she told Esports News UK. “It’s still very small, especially compared to Valorant, which has its own circuit.
“I think that initiatives like Rising Stars are great and well-organised – they encourage new talent to come out of the woodwork and get playing competitively when they might not have done otherwise. However, I think that ladies should definitely be trying to play more in ERLs.”
Tabby, Fourth Wall
Tabby continued: “The problem with only playing female tournaments is that I feel like the overall level is much weaker, due to the much smaller pool of players, and I’m so happy to see teams like G2 Hel playing in NLC and BIG Chroma in Prime League, because it will make them improve in the long run.
“I hope more people see that there are women playing in ERLs like Sayna [with Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition in the Prime League] and a few others, and feel inspired.
“I know it can be much more intimidating for women to join mixed teams, especially when there is a long history of flame and sexism, but if we want change to happen, this is how it has to be.”
Fourth Wall academy: The story so far and future goals
Tabby is a part of UK esports organisation Fourth Wall’s academy team, which was announced last month.
They are currently fifth in NLC Division 3.D, according to the League Fandom page for NLC Div 3.
The team features several women from the female League of Legends scene, including subs Dejavoo, Laura and Charlotte.
Tabby said that being a part of this team has been a standout experience for her.
“Honestly, I think being part of Fourth Wall Academy has probably been one of my best team experiences to date, just from the team environment, the staff and also getting to know the Div 2 team as well,” Tabby said. “The bootcamp was amazing; firstly, I feel like it’s rare that a bootcamp from an esports organisation, at this level at least, actually happens.
“I really enjoyed getting to meet all of my teammates in real life and play scrims, in-houses and solo queue at the venue – it reminded me of when I used to play at Belong Arena tournaments.
“It was also pretty nice to watch the main team playing their games on the big screen too. The venue was cool, and I really like the idea that Fourth Wall is trying to build up a community there!”
In terms of her aims in Division 3, Tabby added: “The main goal at the moment is to make it to the playoffs for Div 2. It’s not been the easiest split for us, but we’re working on improving our communication and pre-planning for objectives.
“At the moment we’re sitting at the middle of the table, so it’s definitely still on the cards if we work hard.”
Tabby on the university female League of Legends scene
In the UK, the university esports scene has grown to support multiple games. And it also has its own Women and Non Binary university esports tournaments as well, something Tabby has praised as a pathway to the female League of Legends scene.
“I think one of the best ways to get more women into esports, particularly for League of Legends, is probably through having good university societies and decent university tournaments (such as NUEL and NSE here in the UK),” she said.
“I was one of two girls at my [university gaming] society when I went to uni, but I’d have never found her without its existence! Playing in NUEL back in the day was what made me want to play competitively and that drive hasn’t stopped.”
Tabby, Fourth Wall
“I used to play in the mixed university leagues, but nowadays there’s a Women & Non-Binary one too, which is great for people who want to make friends, or for people who were too scared to enter the main one.”
Tabby concluded: “League itself is not the most encouraging or easy for new players to pick up either: it doesn’t help that when most women get introduced to the game, it’s through their significant others, and they usually get forced into playing support to learn the game.
“I do wish Riot would make the new player experience better somehow!”
Are you listening, Riot? You’ve got work to do. Give us a League of Legends Game Changers for the female League of Legends scene and a better new player experience. Best get on it, because Tabby and Esports News UK said so.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
