Digital fantasy sports platform Fanzone has struck an agreement with VfL Wolfsburg of the German Bundesliga, releasing a range of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) for the club.
The deal represents Wolfsburg’s debut in the crypto and NFT space, as a number of major leagues and teams become increasingly receptive to the sector.
Wolfsburg will release digital trading cards via the Fanzone app as a result of the linkup, enabling its supporters to purchase, trade and collect the assets and participate in fantasy games.
Dirk Weyel, CEO of Fanzone Media, stated: “We’re grateful for the trust placed in us and are delighted to include VfL Wolfsburg, one of Germany’s strongest football clubs, on our fan engagement platform.
“It’s important to us to build a sustainable, exciting and valuable platform for sports fans and our partners – and in VfL Wolfsburg, we have a great partner who support our mission. Even after the launch edition, fans can look forward to further fantastic, special NFT releases featuring the Wolves.”
Under the duos plans, 61 individual cards will be released, depicting players from the men’s and women’s squads in addition to two head coaches and the VfL mascot
Beginning today, the first phase of the launch will consist of two men’s packs, and will be followed by women’s team packs on 27 September, as well as ‘mixed’ releases.
“There are lots of NFT solutions in this fledgling market,” said VfL Wolfsburg Managing Director Michael Meeske. “In Fanzone, we have found a partner who puts the interests of our fans first and helps us venture down new innovative paths.
“Football trading cards have been close companions for fans for generations, and we’re delighted to now bring this continued enthusiasm to our supporters in digital terms – all thanks to blockchain-based applications.”
Expert Analysis – Professional sports – in particular football – have become increasingly open to greater engagement with cryptocurrency and blockchain technology over the past year. As the COVID-19 pandemic forced fans out of stadiums and cut off revenue streams, numerous clubs, leagues and associations have sought after agreements with firms in the space.
Speaking to Payment Expert last month, Asher Tan, CEO of CoinJar – an official sponsor of Premier League side Brentford FC – explained why the sports and crypto spaces are becoming increasingly intertwined.
