Opinion: How fans are taking it upon themselves to save the LEC

Depending on how long ago Riot Games has ensnared your soul through League of Legends, the answer to the question “what got you into esports?” may be very different. Maybe it was the poorly acted announcement videos, questionable production and general lack of professionalism of the early days. Maybe , a team you grew attached to, or simply a friend who dragged you into the game. But just like most fandoms in life, there has always been something more at the heart of esports than the product itself: relatability and community.

For all the changes esports in Europe have gone through over the past 13 years, those two things have remained at the core of what makes people care. Esports is at its best when it feels human — when players, teams, and fans feel like they are part of something together, rather than simply consuming a polished product. And in an ecosystem that can increasingly feel distant from that idea, who better to bring it back than the fans themselves?

An entertainment product and clever advertisement for the game at first, esports as a whole have grown considerably over the years. From a scene originally beloved for its zero-to-hero stories and less serious professional environments to today’s franchised behemoths, the lack of authenticity has become a major concern. As esports has grown increasingly polished and professional, some of that scrappy, human feeling has been lost, pushing some fans away.

It is no secret that, as the years have gone by, esports has naturally become an economy in itself, with its actors all hoping to turn a profit — even if very few succeed — or, at the very least, find ways to avoid running at a deficit in a period marred by a lack of sponsors following the excesses of previous years. Through this shift, many teams, now operating as businesses first and esports organizations second, have failed to truly capture the magic of old.

While you would have been hard-pressed to find teams without passionate fans back in the day, this has unfortunately become much more common in recent years. Many teams struggle to build any traction on social media, while others abandon the idea of creating content altogether. It begs the question: who are these teams trying to impress, if not the fans who constitute the beating heart of the sport?

This is where the Fan Alley comes in. Not because its contributors were paid to do so, nor because they were asked to. No, they do it out of sheer passion for esports and its community. In an ecosystem increasingly defined by business interests, the Fan Alley represents something refreshingly simple: people creating something because they genuinely care.

Unlike the result-driven culture that has surrounded European esports fandoms in recent years, the Fan Alley is not concerned with who wins or loses. It is about the people behind the results — the players, teams, personalities, and stories that can so easily be reduced to statistics and match records. By putting that human element back at the centre, its contributors are helping fans reconnect with the part of esports that made them care in the first place.

Not only have projects like the Fan Alley helped give the LEC a renewed sense of community, but they also serve the major purpose of giving space to parts of the fandom which have, over time, gotten less and less attention. In today’s European ecosystem, it is no secret that a large part of esports fandom revolves around “ultras” culture. A concept borrowed from traditional sport, this phenomenon especially popularized itself with the arrival of content creator-led organizations like and . Still, while anyone can be an ultra, those fan bases are predominantly masculine and tend to focus on a single club’s existence over the league it is in.

The Fan Alley helps bridge the gap left in the league. “We are not like the ultras. They are the ones lighting up the arena's vibe, making noise, which is amazing. But I think it's cool to also have different types of fans,” stated Coriolis last year in Madrid, one of the co-founders of the project and a long-time fan of the LEC. And indeed, as a medium for creativity and inclusivity, the Fan Alley has quickly become a safe haven for women and queer fans of the scene to unite.

But this does not mean creating different communities. Instead, the LEC Fan Alley has made it clear that it wishes to bring together fans of all groups and create a synergistic organization to push forward European fandoms. “We do not serve the same demographics. To be clear, we welcome a lot of girls and queer people. But we also try to reach out to and work with all the ultras organizations. In my eyes, this project is all about inclusivity and working together,” she continued.

And Riot has not left the feats of the Alley upon deaf ears. Indeed, since its inception in early 2025, the project has rapidly grown in numbers and has, in some form or another, attended all LEC-related events to date. One aspect which may not be as obvious to outside fans is the price of running a booth, notably at the league’s yearly XPO or during its Roadtrips. The costs can rise up to thousands, if not tens of thousands, of euros. Luckily, Riot has thus far, per sources, always contributed through its partners by giving the Fan Alley a space to share its craft and welcome all kinds of creators. Teams themselves have also contributed in the development of the program, with some even donating towards the printing of more freebies. In 2025, the Fan Alley counted about 25 creators; today, it welcomes 160 members within its community — more than six times its previous count a year ago.

A program with altruism as its guiding principle, the Fan Alley also does not care about results or sizes of fanbases. From the bottom teams of the league to those with the biggest fanbases, you can rest assured that the alley will have something for you.

Just like the last two years, the LEC XPO is back. Coming on September 19–20, fans coming to the Nice finals will be able to join in what Riot says should be a “League of Legends paradise”, bringing all sorts of activities to the Albert 1er park, including the Fan Alley, which will notably feature the LEC Zine, a major project featuring 25 artists and showcasing a mix of players, teams, talent and more.

This year, over 40 creators have teamed up to bring over 20,000 freebies (yes, free!) for fans to enjoy, including stickers, prints, keychains and more. According to members of the Fan Alley, the total cost of organizing the booth and its freebies this year is estimated to have been close to 13,000€, all paid for by teams, Riot, and independent donations, as the Fan Alley remains a non-profit organization.

Beyond the numbers, however, the Fan Alley represents exactly what the LEC has arguably been missing in recent years: a space where fans can simply create, share, and celebrate their passion together, regardless of which team they support or how successful it is.