Ally Financial announced Wednesday that it is expanding its relationship with Rocket League Esports that it established in February with a financial investment in Women’s competitive Rocket League.
Financial terms of the expanded relationship were not disclosed.
Ally said in a release that the investment is designed to promote women who compete in esports—specifically those professionals who are part of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS)—through a new women’s tournament. The expanded support of RLCS and Women’s Rocket League competitions is part of Ally’s pledge to “reach 50/50 media spend across men’s and women’s sports, including esports,” according to a release.
Ally became an official sponsor of the North American RLCS in February 2023, and that deal included branding during RLCS broadcasts of the Winter and Spring splits. As part of that sponsorship, Ally will also be a headline supporter of the Ally Women’s Open, a women’s Rocket League tournament set to take place in March 2023, with a $20K USD prize pool for North America and $20K for Europe. The Ally Women’s Open is being produced by Raidiant, a gaming and esports media platform led by an all-women’s management team and industry vet Heather Garozzo.
In addition to sponsoring the Ally Women’s Open, Ally’s partnership will now include ad buys and broadcast integrations during RLCS North American livestreams and inclusion in the league’s associated social media campaigns. The sponsorship is designed to “help elevate amateur and semi-pro players, known as the Bubble scene” through a new community empowerment campaign with Rocket League Esports. These tournaments will “expose newer players to talent scouts, which can eventually lead to larger financial opportunities by competing in the RLCS,” according to a release.
The Ally Women’s Open will be broadcast on Rocket League’s Twitch Channel starting at 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT on March 26.
Rocket League and the RLCS is operated by developer Psyonix, which is owned by Fortnite maker Epic Games.