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UK esports organisation Guild Esports and Gaming have launched The Lobby, a ‘dedicated home for women in gaming’ including events, tournaments and more.
Starting on April 3rd 2025 with the first ‘Lobby Live’ event at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre in Shoreditch, The Lobby represents ‘an expansion of Guild and Sky Broadband’s commitment to creating inclusive and accessible spaces for women in gaming’, according to a press release.
The Lobby will feature venue takeovers, grassroots competitions, casual events and esports tournaments across game titles including Fortnite, FC 25 and sim racing, with one more title to be announced.
The news comes after Drive Lounge and Guild Esports partnered to expand Guild’s Shoreditch gaming and racing facility, with both Drive Lounge and Guild launching a new grassroots sim racing initiative just a few days ago.
The Lobby promises to provide multiple entry points for gamers of all skill levels, from casual players to aspiring professionals.
“The Lobby is more than just a series of events – it’s a space built with and for the women in gaming community,” said Merika Vine, Head of Partnerships at Guild. “Together with Sky Broadband, we want women to have the visibility, support, and opportunities they deserve within gaming & esports.”
What kind of events will ‘The Lobby’ consist of?
- League: Qualified players will compete for a £50,000 prize pool under four team captains from the gaming community – Cadaea, Ebonix, Harrie and Sunpi – across multiple game titles
- Lobby Live: In-person gaming experiences and events at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre, bringing the community together
- Game Days: ‘Nurturing aspiring gamers and grassroots talent through open-access gaming events in a relaxed setting with professional coaches and state-of-the-art tech’
- Studio: Providing a space for streamers and ‘mid-core gamers to create content and upskill consistently’
The Lobby aims to build on two years of partnership between Guild and Sky Broadband. Initially this highlighted the challenges women face in gaming and esports with the ‘No Room for Abuse’ campaign, followed by creating the ‘Path to Pro’ initiative that saw current roster players Ruby and Anna join Guild.
Last year, the ‘Women’s Esports Finals,’ provided a pathway for three additional female pros – Grete Lajal, Clara Bucciachio, and Mariam ‘FUTHeda’ Musa – to join the organisation via two Guild Women’s Esports Finals.
hose interested in joining The Lobby community can join the Guild Discord server, The Lobby Instagram Broadcast Channel, or sign up to join The Lobby on the Guild website.
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.
