PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 28, 2017 - Team Dignitas, managed by the Philadelphia 76ers, has signed its first all-female team, which will compete in international coed and all-female Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) competitions. Placing second at the 2016 and 2014 female CS:GO World Cups under the Team Karma and Selfless Gaming banner, respectively, players on the new Team Dignitas squad include team Captain and AWPer Emmalee “emuhleet” Garrido from Los Angeles, California; entryfraggers Amanda “rain” Smith and Mounira “Goosebreeder” Dobie from Canada; lurker Carolyn “artStar” Noquez from Los Angeles, California; and 2015 female CS:GO World Cup gold medalist, Canadian Catherine “Cath” Leroux, previously with CLG Red.

The team placed first at the 2015 Copenhagen Games Female Tournament and in the top-eight at the 2016 coed Fragadelphia 9 tournament in Philadelphia, P.a. The team will make their debut under the Team Dignitas banner at the Intel Challenge hosted at IEM Katowice in Poland on March 2 and 3. The team will compete in the Sixers' hometown of Philadelphia, Pa. in June 2017 at the coed, Fragadelphia 11 Semi-Professional North American Cup.

Former CS:GO support player during the squad’s 2014 World Cup run, Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo of Milwaukee, Wis., will become the team’s manager and back-up player. Playing competitively since 2001, “sapphiRe” won the female CS:GO World Championship in 2012 with Team UBINITED.

“Our intent is to recruit and develop the most talented players in the world,” said Jonathan Kemp, Team Dignitas CEO. “As a fan-first organization, we were thrilled to sign gamers who have a strong relationship with their fans and have achieved impressive success in international tournament play. We are confident that our squad will represent Team Dignitas’ history of winning in international coed and all-female competitions. Naturally we support the growth of female gamers in the industry, but chiefly saw this as an opportunity to bring premier playing talent into our Team Dignitas family.”

“We are extremely happy to have signed a team who desires, as we do, to compete and win at the highest levels of play,” said Michael “ODEE” O’Dell, Team Dignitas President. “We look forward to working alongside them in their journey and continued development as professional gamers. This is a team of talented competitors who has shown a drive to succeed and dedication to their sport and fans. We are ecstatic to announce the first all-female team in Team Dignitas’ proud 13-year history.”

"What excites me the most about joining the Team Dignitas family is the amount of support and respect they have from the eSports community,” said Emmalee ‘emuhleet’ Garrido, Team Dignitas CS:GO Captain and AWPer. “It is a dream come true to play for Team Dignitas and within the Philadelphia 76ers family; and we do consider our team a true family. Everyday we are inspired by our fans and each other to prove that with motivation, dedication and hard work you can achieve your dreams! Our fans mean everything to us and we hope to continue the same close relationship we have them online, at events and through social media.”

"For over a decade, Team Dignitas has been a well-respected name in the business,” said Heather ‘sapphiRe' Garozzo, Team Dignitas CS:GO Manager and industry veteran. “To join such a historic organization is an absolute honor. As someone that has worked both in eSports and professional sports, and been an avid fan of both, it's exciting to see these two worlds collide to become a harmonious unit. I'm thrilled to work alongside some of the industry's best players and executives and share my eSports passion with the our new Team Dignitas and Philadelphia 76ers family.”

Stay tuned to team-dignitas.net for more announcements regarding our CS:GO plans in the near future!

You can follow our new members on Twitter over at:

@EMUHLEET
@rainCSGO
@CAthCSGO
@LynnieNoquez
@goosebreeder
@sapphiReCSGO