
Grete Lajal and Mariam Musa crowned winners of the UK's first-of-its-kind women's only esports initiativeMonday 11 November 2024
The initiative, which featured three phases and a prize pot of £50,000, as well as the chance to win professional contracts, came to a thrilling conclusion with the Women's Esports Finals this weekend
The ground-breaking tournament was created by Sky Broadband in partnership with Guild Esports and Gaming whose ambassador is David Beckham
The Women's Esports initiative aimed to promote diversity and inclusion in the gaming world following research revealing a mere 5% of pro gamers are women
Images to download here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/taylorherringpr/5MfW5Ku8x4 & https://www.flickr.com/gp/taylorherringpr/W107yVVNn8
Video to download here: https://we.tl/t-a1MU3p0grR
The winners of the first-of-its-kind women's only esports initiative have been crowned.
Grete Lajal and Mariam Musa both from London came out on top, as the three-phase tournament brought to life by Sky Broadband in partnership with Guild Esports and Gaming came to an end this weekend.
The winners of the Women's Esports Finals have secured themselves professional contracts, a portion of the £50,000 prize fund, which is shared between all finalists, and free Sky Broadband for 24 months. The tournament marks a significant milestone in the journey towards a more inclusive esports industry.
The first-of-its-kind women's only esports initiative was launched in April by Sky Broadband, in partnership with Guild Esports and Gaming, and their ambassador, David Beckham. The initiative was designed to provide a platform for talented women gamers to showcase their skills, following research that revealed out of all esports pros only 5% (1) are women, despite 47% (2) of UK gamers being women.
In the run up to the Women's Esports Finals, competitors from across the UK have gone head-to-head in Racers Eseries (a sim racing-based competition) and Football Eseries (EA SPORTS FC 25) tournaments. It is the first women's esports tournament to award professional contracts as well as cash prizes, a share of which was given to all finalists.
The coveted esports pro contracts will see Grete and Mariam receive access to top-class facilities and opportunities to connect with other professionals and sponsors as they develop their skills. The winners will also receive support from experts including the setting of KPIs to guide their progress, coaching and mentorship to help develop their competitive play.
The finalists battled it out at Sky's headquarters with the event live streamed on Sky Sports and Guild Esports' YouTube channels hosted by renowned esports presenter Frankie Ward.
She led the charge with Rachel Stringer who helped break down the action alongside Alia Harvey, and Anita Abayomi who stepped into the football commentator's seat. Presenter Iain Chambers was also joined by Nina-Jade Paul and commentator George Morgan for the Racers Eseries.
Nine of the best women drivers in the UK competed on fan favourite tracks where Grete Lajal topped the podium in the sim racing-based competition. Grete, the Racers Eseries winner said:
I am so happy, and also surprised! I definitely didn't know what I was getting myself into! I would have never thought I could participate in a race like this if it wasn't for this event. I'm so excited about finding a new hobby where I can constantly improve at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre. Today went really well, but I know there's so much more to come.
Fellow Racers Eseries competitor Clara Bucciacchio won a Guild Esports and Gaming academy contract following an impressive set of races. The contract will give her access to support and training to raise her game to the professional level.
After a hard-fought regular season, the Football Eseries saw six players go head-to head in four rounds of EA SPORTS FC 25 followed by an all-or-nothing final. Mariam was top of the league in her performance during the Football Eseries winning the final match 5-2. Mariam Musa the Football Eseries winner said:
It feels crazy to be the Football Eseries champion, it doesn't feel real. It was amazing to have that many women come out and showcase their talent at Sky. I'm looking forward to the support that Guild Esports and Gaming can offer. Hopefully I can work with their coaches, compete in more tournaments and show more representation as a person of colour as it's really hard to enter the space.
Sky Broadband is the official partner of Guild Esports and Gaming, supporting the esports company in their shared mission to make the industry inclusive and equal for all.
Amber Pine, MD, Sky Connectivity, said:
Huge congratulations to Grete Lajal and Mariam Musa on becoming the first ever champions of our Women's Esports Finals. At Sky Broadband, we're incredibly proud to have partnered with Guild Esports and Gaming on this groundbreaking initiative, together we are changing the game and proving that esports is a space for everyone.
Luke Jones, VP, Commercial, Esports, and Gaming from Guild Esports and Gaming, said: We are excited to welcome Grete Lajal and Mariam Musa to Guild Esports and Gaming. This tournament was about showcasing the immense talent within the women's gaming community, and these two players have undoubtedly proven themselves to be the best. This is just the beginning of their journey as professional esports athletes, and we are excited to support them every step of the way as they compete at the highest level.
Monica Dinsmore, Senior Director of Esports & Ventures Brand, EA Sports, said:
The passion and skill these women bring to the virtual pitch is inspiring. Having been in the space for more than a decade, it's rewarding to see organizations like Sky Bro
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
08/07/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is applauding the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and provision...
08/07/2025
SYDNEY RTS has announced that Channel 7 Sydney has deployed a new comms system from RTS as part of a larger ST-2110 upgrade....
08/07/2025
ATLANTA & CINCINNATI Gray Media, Inc. and The E.W. Scripps Company have entered into agreements to swap television stations across five mid-sized and small mark...
07/07/2025
SBS Farewells Chair George Savvides AM
7 July, 2025
Media releases
Born of Greek Cypriot parents, Mr Savvides joined the SBS Board as Deputy Chair in Febru...
07/07/2025
Advanced vision solutions deliver more than reliable night vision for tactical-edge warfighters. Today's technological advances can provide the capability f...
07/07/2025
BALTIMORE Sinclair has named Narinder Sahai its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately....
07/07/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the launch of RefSuite, a powerful new Managed Technology solution tailored to professional sports workflows. RefSuite com...
07/07/2025
Regional base will foster client engagement, partner collaboration, and executive touchpoints
Skandha Media Services, a leading provider of cloud-native media ...
07/07/2025
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced its Against All Odds - ASG Builds Cutti...
07/07/2025
Agreement secured on the strength of Skandha's proven track record in delivering reliable managed services across the full content life cycle for existing h...
07/07/2025
1-2 Punch: The Cloud, Generative AI, and the Future of Sports-Content Distributi...
07/07/2025
Tests and decisions: Formula E host broadcaster Aurora on launching new AR graph...
07/07/2025
Building tension: Using new AR graphics for storytelling at the Formula E penult...
07/07/2025
Altitude Sports' Matt Krol on the Success of the RSN's In-Arena Postgame...
07/07/2025
SVG Rewind: Four NFL Clubs Bring Us on Set of Respective Media Day Shoots An in-depth conversation with 49ers Laura Johnson, Ravens Jay O'Brien, Las Vegas R...
07/07/2025
Cosm To Build Fifth Shared Reality Venue in Cleveland as Part of Bedrock's ...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
She Walks in Darkness, Agust n D az Yanes New Film, Premieres ...
07/07/2025
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA As Apple Music marks its 10th anniversary this year, Apple unveils its most ambitious creative project to date: a brand-new state-of-the...
07/07/2025
RT has announced that Mark Bignell has been appointed Commissioning Editor for Comedy following a public competition. This senior editorial position will drive...
05/07/2025
Back to All News
Superestar, the Story of a Star Who Never Changed. Premiering July 18
Entertainment
05 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
04/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
Editor's note: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robe...
04/07/2025
The Summer Reading Challenge has inspired children across the U.K. to embrace a ...
04/07/2025
Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...
04/07/2025
Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...
04/07/2025
Create Any Planet in After Effects
Graham Quince July 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...
04/07/2025
Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion
Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...
04/07/2025
Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters how much information is too much?...
04/07/2025
WASHINGTON As Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr works to achieve his goal of a very busy, productive summer at the FCC, the agency has rele...
04/07/2025
Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...
04/07/2025
CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton July 3, 2025
0 Comments
Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...
04/07/2025
Friday 4 July 2025
Watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/Od5WpvWmDr8
Further...
04/07/2025
The Pitch comes to RT Radio 1 airwaves this Sunday at 7pm. The Pitch is a brand...
03/07/2025
For our Vario-Jib, as well as for a repertoire of weights, we now have carts that make transport easier...
03/07/2025
One of our latest innovations: Slider Drive Unit!
Our Vario Slider not only comes with improvements and new features, but also with its own drive unit!
Our i...
03/07/2025
The 360 EVO lives up to its name: 360-degree rotation not only on the pan axis, but also on the roll axis, enables filmmakers to take their creative visions eve...
03/07/2025
What a buzzing few days at BSCExpo in London!
We were thrilled to connect with so many talented professionals from the world of cinematography.
A huge thank ...
03/07/2025
ADOLESCENCE - Shot with Panther Tower"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode
Netflix limited drama series Adolescence has been gaining attentio...
03/07/2025
To achieve a true level of decisive overmatch, communication systems must be as ...
03/07/2025
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. distribution at Paramount Global, to its board of directors....
03/07/2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. In his first major policy speech, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr outlined his Build America Agenda for the agency'...
03/07/2025
As the industry is making a major push to transition to NextGen TV and develop new businesses that will fund the next generation of broadcasting, TV Tech's ...
03/07/2025
Despite enabling its subscribers to watch films and TV shows in the highest possible resolution, Netflix has revealed it is taking things old school with the in...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to news that Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, Democrats and other administra...
03/07/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications today launched RefSuite for professional sports workflows....
03/07/2025
WEITERSTADT, Germany LYNX Technik, a provider of modular signal processing solutions, has announced that founder and longtime CEO Winfried Deckelmann is steppin...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON Representatives from six trade groups representing tech, pay TV, broadband, LPTV and other sectors recently met with Federal Communications Commissio...
03/07/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wis. Dan Whealy has acquired Heartland Video Systems and will be its new owner and president, the systems integrator said....
03/07/2025
Acclaimed filmmaker, educator, and industry veteran Jay Holben has released his most ambitious work to date: The Director's Guide to Everything a sweeping...