Guild Esports and Sky Broadband have announced the launch of the inaugural Rocket League Boost Championship, which will see women teams compete for a share of the £5,000 prize money.
The grassroots league, which is hosting open qualifiers from August 5th 2023, is open to women gamers looking to go pro.
A press release stated that the Boost Championship ‘represents Guild and Sky’s commitment to broadening diversity in esports by creating more support and opportunities for women and people of marginalised genders to compete in a safe online space’.
The league will have safeguarding procedures in place including women and non-binary staff running the competition. Four elite European teams will be invited to compete, with four more places available for those that earn their place in the Open Qualifiers.
The top four teams will be awarded a share of the £5,000 prize pool by playing two games each week, competing for the chance to reach the final and win the grand prize.
“The Boost Championship is just one of our many ongoing commitments alongside our partner Sky Broadband, to the development of womens’ esports, and to making the Sky Guild Gaming Centre a safe space for diverse gamers of all backgrounds.”
Jasmine Skee, Guild Esports
Each week Guild will broadcast a roundup show, highlighting the best moments and matches from that week.
“Ensuring that we’re supporting and nurturing womens esports is a huge priority for us here at Guild,” said Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports.
“The Boost Championship is just one of our many ongoing commitments alongside our partner Sky Broadband, to the development of womens’ esports, and to making the Sky Guild Gaming Centre a safe space for diverse gamers of all backgrounds.”
Amber Pine, Managing Director of Broadband and Connectivity at Sky Broadband, added: “There is still a long way to go in creating a level playing field for women in gaming. As part of our mission to improve this, we’re powering the Boost Championship, creating a competition that connects female gamers and gives them the opportunity to compete in a safe and respectful environment.”
The Boost Championship is one of several initiatives being developed by Guild and Sky Broadband to help more women consider gaming as a viable career path. This summer at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre, the partnership has delivered The Lobby Live gaming evenings as part of the No Room For Abuse campaign, designed to help foster a safer and more inclusive gaming environment for women and allies.
More details on the competing teams and matchups will follow ahead of the first league broadcast on August 25th. Fans can find out more and watch games on Guild’s Twitch and Twitter each week.
For more information and to sign up to participate please visit Guild’s X (formerly Twitter) @guildesports
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.
