What is the Equal Esports Initiative?

The Equal Esports Initiative aims to promote equality, diversity and thus also inclusion in esports in the long term. The initiative was launched by Deutsche Telekom, SK Gaming and the esports player foundation 2021 and initially consists of 4 main strands:

  • The promotion of female and non-binary Esports talent by the esports player foundation
  • The creation of the Equal Esports Council
    The foundation of SK Avarosa
  • The initiation of the annual Equal Esports Festival
  • The promotion of female and non-binary Esports talent through the esports player foundation
  • The creation of the Equal Esports Council
  • The foundation of SK Avarosa
  • The initiation of the annual Equal Esports Festival
Equal Esports Talentcamp

What are the ways in which female and non-binary Esports talents are supported by epf?

Our Program

The Equal Esports program by the esports player foundation provides comprehensive support for women and non-binary players on their path toward a professional Esports career.
All talents benefit from the full range of epf’s support modules:

  • Professional in-game coaching

  • Sports psychology and mental health support

  • Regular fitness training

  • Individual hardware assistance

  • Mentoring program

  • Workshops on topics such as social media, nutrition, and resilience

  • Intensive bootcamps focused on performance routines and team development

These elements form the foundation of every Equal Esports cohort and ensure consistent, long-term player development.

Year 1

In its first year, the esports player foundation supported ten women and non-binary players in League of Legends.
This marked the start of the Equal Esports program and established the comprehensive support model that continues today.

Year 2

In the second year of the Equal Esports Initiative, the program expanded to include Brawl Stars. A total of 14 League of Legends and 4 Brawl Stars players benefited from the full support package.

Year 3

The third year saw an increase to 22 players – 18 in League of Legends and 4 in Brawl Stars.
Applications came from more than 25 countries, reflecting the growing international recognition of the initiative, driven by the success of the Equal Esports Cup.

Year 4

In the fourth year, 22 promising new players joined the program – with a major addition: VALORANT.
For the first time, Equal Esports supported three titles: 3 Brawl Stars, 8 VALORANT, and 11 League of Legends players.
The cohort also included the first-ever talent from the Middle East. With applications from over 30 countries, the program’s global reach continued to expand.

Year 5 (2025 / 2026)

From more than 600 applications across six continents, 21 players were chosen to join the Equal Esports 2025/26 program, delivered in partnership with Deutsche Telekom.
An additional Wild Card scholarship was awarded during the Equal Esports Cup Finals at Gamescom 2025.
This season, the esports player foundation supports 12 VALORANT talents, 8 League of Legends players, and 1 Brawl Stars athlete.

What is the Equal Esports Council?

The Equal Esports Council is responsible for providing strategic direction, steering actions, and overseeing the implementation of Equal Esports talent development. It acts as a kind of supervisory board that always acts for the benefit of the talent.

The Equal Esports Council is composed of successful women from Esports, gaming and business. They actively support the talents as mentors, regularly meet virtually as well as physically and try to constantly advance equality and diversity in Esports.

Learn more about the Equal Esports Council here.

What is the story behind SK Avarosa?

In the first year of the Equal Esports Initiative, SK Gaming created a League of Legends team consisting of female and non-binary individuals “SK AVAROSA”. The team participated in the Strauss Prime League and achieved great success there.

In the second year, the Brawl Stars title was added.

More information about SK Avarosa can be found here.

What is the Equal Esports Festival?

Together with the Equal Esports Initiative, the “Equal Esports Festival” was also initiated, which takes up precisely these topics such as equality, inclusion and diversity and incorporates them into an exciting program consisting of education but also entertainment. This took place for the first time in 2021 in Berlin and was very well received, so that it could take place again in 2022 in Cologne.

More information about the festival can be found here.