ATK'S HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN IN ESPORTS

In South Africa's long history of competitive Counter Strike, no all-female team has ever entered South Africa's Main ESEA Division… until now. ATK Fe has secured its spot in the Main Division after qualifying for the Intermediate division Grand Finals. ATK Fe has now proven that their only true rival is the top talent of South African Counter Strike. Amazing female teams have entered the South African professional scene but none before have overcome the tough competition to make it to the main stage. ATK can only hope this story of triumph and success is enough to encourage and remind all gamers that gender matters little in the face of hard work, diligence, and talent. The team is a prime example of all three.

The squad has taken on greater and greater challenges as the year has progressed. The year began with a rough start and end to season 42 of the ESEA Intermediate Division, with the squad placing 8th out of 16 teams. But this didn't get them down. During this time, the girls won the prestigious Girl Gamer South African qualifiers and competed in Dreamhack's ESL Impact in Sweden. The tough international competition combined with their vast amount of LAN experience created a polished gem heading into season 43 of the ESEA Intermediate division, and it showed. The squad performed well during the season round-robin but truly showed their skill during the play-in stage, with a clean sweep to the Grand Finals.

The squad is excited to play in the Grand Finals on the 29th of Dec and at the highest level of South African Counter Strike moving forward, as ATK's co-captain Christie "Graceyy" Webster shared: "Even though this is the first of many steps of our journey as a team. We are extremely proud of ourselves for how much we have grown throughout the year - We are excited to be able to learn and grow by playing against the top South African teams in the upcoming ESEA season. Growth and consistency take time and we are here for that"

We are thrilled that women's presence in gaming continues to grow and we look forward to being a part of women's bright future in Esports.

ESEA Standings: bit.ly/ESEAStandings

ATK at ESL Impact s2: https://esportscentral.co.za/csgo/atk-female-competes-at-esl-impact-league-season-2-this-weekend/

ATK at Girl Gamer 2022: https://stuff.co.za/2022/06/24/the-global-girl-gamer-esports-festival-is-coming-to-cape-town-this-weekend/