Cloud9 Announces First All-Female Esports Team for Valorant

North American organization Cloud9 have announced its first all-female Esports team, which will feature in Riot Games’ Valorant tournaments. Already involved in League of Legends and Fortnite, among other games, Cloud9 are set to create more opportunities for women following their partnership with AT&T. The new team is set to debut at First Strike on Monday.

Senior Vice President of Marketing at Cloud9, Kristen Salvatore, has played a major role in the new lineup. She had the following to say on the announcement: “One of the coolest things about esports and competitive gaming is that, unlike traditional sports, you’re playing with a mouse and keyboard. It genuinely does not matter who’s behind the game sitting at that keyboard in terms of their physical prowess or their gender or their cultural background. None of that matters. And so there is every reason that this should be a really powerful way to change what people think a team should be.”

Why An Increasing Number of Organizations are Introducing Women

A recent study found that almost 50% of the gaming industry is made up by women, while some 29% of Esports fans are female. Cloud9 are clearly looking to lead the way when it comes to the involvement of women in the industry, with it potentially not being long until we see mixed teams competing. In fact, the male and female Cloud9 Valorant teams will practice against each other, as well as play in the same league.

In a statement, Salvatore continued by stating: “We have two competitive teams. And our goal is to actually have one competitive team that has the best players on it. We’re starting a women’s team and the goal is parity. The goal is pay equity. But we have a keen understanding that to get there, we need to make sure we are surfacing and supporting opportunities for women. There isn’t parity now, which means we’ve got to do some work to get there. But the ultimate goal is to normalize this so it isn’t news anymore.”

Who Will Make Up the Cloud9 Female Valorant Team?

The Cloud9 Valorant women’s team will be known as Cloud9 White, with Alexis “alexis” Guarrasi, Annie “Annie” Roberts, Jasmine “Jazzy” Manankil, Katsumi and Melanie “meL” Capone making up their lineup. The roster previously operated for MAJKL, securing 5th-8th place at the Counter Logic Gaming- Blitz Open Cup.

Meanwhile, they won the FTW Summer Showdown event, a tournament which is part of the Valorant Ignition Series, taking home $25,000 in the process. Salvatore was quick to point out the key role in which general manager Gaylen Malone played in signing the players from MAJKL. Female involvement in Esports dates back to 2002, when PMS Clan competed in games such as Counter-Strike. Meanwhile, Gen.G created an all-female Fortnite team back in 2018, while the Philadelphia 76ers Dignitas Esports organization has their own initiative focused upon women, known as dubbed_Fe.