British Esports Association’s Women in Esports initiative will be working with Dota Valkyries to support women in the space, beginning with a community tournament, the Dota Valkyrie Cup.
Encouraging diverse and inclusive participation
The Women in Esports initiative was set up towards the end of 2019 by the nonprofit British Esports Association to promote inclusivity and diversity within esports and became an ongoing campaign in 2020 with their own committee. Dota Valkyries look towards expanding the Dota 2 community and make it a more welcoming place for female competitors by creating an uplifting platform and creating new, dynamic systems of inclusivity within the Dota 2 scene as well as esports as a whole. Their launch in March 2021 was celebrated by notable members of the Dota 2 community.
The partners both aim to support women within Dota 2 as well as collaborating on increasing participation of marginalized genders within both the business and the competitive sides of the industry. To begin their partnership, they will be working together on the Dota Valkyrie Cup community tournament.
Speaking about the collaboration, Women in Esports chair Natacha Jones stated that they were extremely excited to have partnered with an organization that closely shared their values. Since it is clear that both parties share similar goals, they can hope to enact sustainable change within the industry through cooperation. Partnering with the Valkyries will mean encouraging participation of marginalized genders, celebrating existing talent, and provoking conversations about inclusivity and diversity within the industry.
Emma Brown of Dota Valkyries commented that the partnership would consolidate the skills, networks, and creativity of both sides, further increasing their capacity to support women in the industry. Further collaborations will include content creation, co-branded tournaments, and research projects.
Everything you need to know about the Valkyrie Cup community tournament
The first collaboration between Women in Esports and Dota Valkyries will be the Dota Valkyrie Cup. Taking place between 18-19th September, the tournament will be open to all genders, with the following entry requirements:
- Every team will consist of five members, with a minimum of two female or non-binary players and a maximum of 3 male players
- The maximum MMR (Dota 2 global player ranking) of any player is 4 000.
The event will be managed on the Women in Esports Battlefy page while the verification of players will be conducted the day before the tournament begins on the Dota Valkyrie Cup Discord server. The verification will ensure that the minimum requirements are being carried out by teams.
Tournament prizes will be given in Battle Pass levels (allowing the purchase of in-game cosmetic items) and the event itself will be broadcast on the British Esports Twitch channel – participants will also be encouraged to stream their own games. Live match coverage will be posted on the Women in Esports Twitter page.
