T1 CEO Joe Marsh confirmed at PAX East that although the organization doesn’t currently have plans to sign a women’s VALORANT team, the org does want to help the scene grow with monthly tournaments and other avenues of support.
During T1’s “Taking Esports into the Future” panel at PAX East 2022, Marsh was asked if T1 has plans to enter women’s VALORANT. While Marsh confirmed there are no plans for a women’s team right now, T1 still wants to support the scene.
“We plan on supporting women’s VALORANT through monthly events and coaching sessions and things like that,” Marsh said. “I don’t want to have a second team right now. We had an academy team briefly, and we got rid of it. Salaries are rising so fast that it’s like you’re burning through cash, and it’s outpacing your revenue for all the teams. So, we want to support the women’s scene more through their monthly tournaments instead of having a team. I think we can do more help there.”
Marsh explained that he believes there are opportunities for mixed VALORANT teams at some point since the competitive scene is not gender locked. He also thinks it’s “important to invest in the women’s scene in VALORANT” and said some teams are doing a good job at this. This includes allocating resources and support to growing the “ecosystem as a whole” and not just focusing on the competitive side.
VALORANT currently has a thriving women’s scene with several notable organizations like Cloud9, TSM, Dignitas, and Team Liquid already having all-women teams. Continued support from influential organizations like T1 could help the women’s scene grow and receive the attention it deserves.
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