Sources: Rachy set to join Aurora and become first woman to join an ERL this offseason

19-year-old midlaner Rachelle "Rachy" Stemerdink is set to join the Belgian organization Aurora in the Benelux ERL, sources told Sheep Esports on Tuesday. Formerly known as "Clouds," Rachy’s transfer marks the first known signing of a woman to an ERL team this offseason. She was selected by Aurora following a standard tryout process. The remaining four players on Aurora's roster have also reached verbal agreements with the team.

This news marks a move in the right direction towards more inclusivity within esports, particularly within Riot Games' ecosystem. While not unprecedented, such transfers remain rare. In 2022, G2 Hel's AD carry Maya "Caltys" Henckel competed in the Balkans’ ERL for Valiance. One year later, in 2023, AD Carry Mareike "Sayna" Burg played a few official games for Unicorns Of Love in the Prime League as she shared the spot with Johannes "Fun K3y" Werner.

More recently during this offseason, G2 Hel’s support Eve “Colomblbl” Monvoisin participated in Karmine Corp’s third-team tryouts for the 2025 season, though another player was ultimately selected for the role. So far this offseason, no other woman has been reported to a team within ERLs (European Regional Leagues).

Progress has been more pronounced in Riot Games’ VALORANT scene. Prodigy Ava “florescent” Eugene became the first Game Changers player to join a Tier 1 team, signing with Apeks in the VCT EMEA. By contrast, League of Legends has yet to establish a competition equivalent to the Game Changers circuit, which played a key role in florescent’s development. The only woman to have competed at the elite level in League of Legends remains Maria “Remilia” Creveling, who briefly played in the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split.

Rachy’s competitive experience includes a stint of three months in the Equal Esports Cup qualifiers with GamerLegion in 2023, though the team did not achieve notable results. In the spring of 2024, she played for AOMA Academy, a team whose roster and achievements are not well-documented. In SoloQ, Rachy peaked at 500LP last month, playing champions like Ahri and Orianna.

Aurora, her new team, has competed in the second division of the Benelux ERL for the past two years. Although they have failed to qualify for the first division, the organization has earned a place in the newly restructured Benelux ERL for 2025. Previously known as the Elite Series, the league underwent changes following a switch in tournament organizers and has yet to announce its new name.

From the Benelux ERL, Rachy and her team will have the opportunity to compete for a spot at the EMEA Masters. This could potentially see her face off against established midlaners such as Tim "Nemesis" Lipovšek or Vincent "Vetheo" Berrié, who are also competing in ERLs this year.

Aurora’s roster for the 2025 season will feature four new players alongside their returning AD carry. The full lineup is as follows:

Aurora’s revamped roster aims to make a strong impression in the Benelux ERL’s new format.

Coincidentally, Aurora is the second team with this name that Jungler Aziz “AzizYıldırım” Yıldırım is playing for. In 2022, he played for Team AURORA, another organization that competed in the TCL.