ESL launches Season 2 of its all-female esports league - ESL Impact.

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ESL Impact, a women's CS:GO league, has completed qualifying for Season 2. ESL, the esports league organization, has launched Impact as part of its #GGForAll initiative. The main goals of Impact are to attract more women to CS:GO, create more opportunities, increase awareness and reduce toxicity.

"We work to create opportunities in all areas where we operate, not only providing opportunities for female players in ESL Impact tournaments, but also for women who wish to pursue a career in esports, whether in as producer or sound engineer for the live broadcast, tournament administrator or social media manager, etc.,” Charlie Sirc, Product Manager, said in a press release.

Along with the new season, some popular esports organizations are announcing their rosters. Among the new additions is Danish esports organization Astralis. In a recent interview, Anders Hørsholt, CEO of Astralis, spoke about the positivity of Impact and their impending roster.

"At Astralis, we want to champion the positives of esports and gaming," Hørsholt said. “On the women's side, our Brazilian FIFA player Stephanie 'Teca' has been a great ambassador for years and I can confirm that we will continue our investment in this area. This goes for CS:GO as well, and while we can't say much right now, we're really excited to see the efforts that have been made in the female CS:GO scene over the past 12 months - like ESL Impact Season 1 and the establishment of multiple talent rosters. This is something that will shape the future of esports, and just like in FIFA, very soon we will officially join and amplify the conversation in CS:GO as well."

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Another addition, Evil Geniuses, posted their list via Twitter in mid-August. Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO of Evil Geniuses, recently shared her thoughts on joining Impact and the importance of inclusion.

"We are at a pivotal moment in making esports humanly accessible where, as an industry, we have the opportunity to finally build the women's game like never before through high profile competitions like ESL Impact League and supporting professional teams through access to the best coaching, tools and resources," said Jameson. "Evil Geniuses continues our commitment to supporting these fierce competitors by ensuring they operate like all EG teams, including training against our men's teams, working in tandem with our industry-leading data and analytics group, and the infrastructure that will help them grow. and grow as a team.”

"If we want esports to continue to thrive and reach new heights, we must be unwavering in our commitment to creating a space that represents the true breadth of the esports community, and that includes 'providing the best players in the world with the platform and resources to crush the competition," continued Jameson. "The ESL Impact League is another step in that direction, and we're excited to join other top organizations plan as we create an industry that sees women as equal to their male counterparts."

Finally, esports organization Ninjas in Pajamas has joined ESL Impact with their new roster.

“NIP is making a monumental move by entering ESL Impact,” said Hicham Chahine, Founder and Co-CEO of NIP. "It's a step in the right direction, a...