Holders of the $NAP Fan Token will enjoy unprecedented access to the club, including the rights to vote in interactive club polls. They will also be able to compete with other fans in games, competitions, and quizzes, to earn both digital and real-world rewards, benefits, and experiences. Additionally, fans will be able to experience Socios.com’s geo-location, augmented reality Token Hunt feature.

Commenting on the news, Serena Salvione, Chief International Development Officer of Napoli, said: “Partnering with Socios.com has a special value for us, being the brand more and more involved in global projects and driven by fans’ engagement objectives. We are constantly looking for new ways to make our fans feel part of the club in the digital environment and for them to have their voices heard on a daily basis. Socios.com will help us in doing that and we can’t wait to work closely with our new partner and come up with unique activation ideas”.

Napoli’s announcement follows last week’s from fellow Italian club Bologna FC, and makes it the sixth Serie A team to partner with Socios.com. Details of when the $NAP Fan Token will be launched, how much it will cost, and how many will be minted, will be announced soon.

More than 90 major sporting organisations have now announced partnerships with Socios.com, including major European and South American football clubs, NBA franchises, F1 teams, cricket teams and leagues, and esports organisations.

Football legends Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri, and Gabriel Batistuta are the newest additions to TopGoal’s growing roster of superstars to be enshrined in NFT form through the platform. TopGoal’s first NFT drop was on Binance NFT in July, which included football icons Guti, Michael Owen, and Rivaldo. TopGoal has also partnered with Binance NFT for the second series.

TopGoal partners with famous football players, clubs, and institutions to create officially licensed, blockchain-backed NFT collectable cards, which can be bought and traded so fans can build their ultimate fantasy squad, collect the greatest moments from their favorite players, and even play the NFT cards in blockchain-empowered games which adopt the latest play-to-earn economic model.

The surging popularity of NFTs has led to this entirely new play-to-earn gaming paradigm known as GameFi, which blurs the line between players and investors. Players can now earn tokens or NFTs for their gaming, which often have corresponding real-world value, and can also be used in-game to further increase their rarity or value, or help power a game’s community.

Alessandro Del Piero is widely considered one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, currently standing as the second highest top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals. 

Christian Vieri was named in the FIFA 100 list, which includes the 125 greatest living footballers. During his career, Vieri was considered one of the best strikers in Europe, once holding the title as most expensive player ever, when Inter Milan paid Lazio €43 million for his services.

Gabriel Batistuta started his storied career playing in Argentina, but spent most of his playing days with Serie A club Fiorentina in Italy, where he remains their all-time leading scorer. He’s also the only player in football history to score two hat-tricks in different World Cups.

“Football is the most popular sport in the world and there are so many historical moments that deserve to be remembered. Bringing together NFTs and football can provide the chance for fans to collect these great moments of the players they support, build their fantasy squad and play the game with one-of-a-kind legendary football player cards. I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Del Piero.

“From what I know about NFT technology, it can help to easily validate the ownership of digital assets such as NFT game cards. One of the major problems with traditional cards is counterfeiting, as it can be very difficult to tell whether it is genuine or not. Even my autograph gets copied by counterfeiters and that’s not fair for fans! NFT technology can help to overcome this issue, while also allowing the cards to be used for playing games and other applications that support the technology. This seems very impressive to me. In my opinion, the combination of football with traditional star cards as well as the market for NFTs has got massive potential,” said ​​Michael Owen.

Staying with all things football and NFT, earlier this week we reported that Rangers FC had entered an NFT partnership with Sportemon Go.

One of the lowest rated teams in EA Sports’ FIFA football franchise, Finn Harps has gained something of a cult status with esports fans. The collaboration with the club, which plays in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, is intended to raise the profile of Guild in the Republic of Ireland, and encourage local FIFA players to join Guild’s academy. 

In addition to a series of fan-led activations, Guild branding will feature on Finn Harp’s first and second replica kits and in FIFA 22, and the organisation will have a presence at Finn Park and on the club’s social media channels. 

Aidan Campbell, Marketing Officer at Finn Harps, said: “We would like to welcome everyone from Guild into the Finn Harps family. This partnership offers some genuinely exciting possibilities for Finn Harps and it began when we learned we had attracted a cult following on Guild’s FIFA show. This led to a series of meetings between our media/marketing team and Guild about the possibilities of working together on projects that could harness the huge crossover between live football and the Irish esports community.

“We’ve had alternative offers for shirt sponsorship, but we felt this represented an unprecedented opportunity to create initiatives that will engage a younger audience with the League of Ireland”.

Michelle Tierney, Chief Commercial Officer at Guild Esports, added: “We’re immensely proud of this unique partnership, and the opportunities it will offer for both Guild and Harps to create impact in Ireland’s growing Esports scene. We were drawn to Finn Harps because they are a fan owned club with a distinct identity, who seem to continually defy the odds. Harps are everyone’s second favourite team on FIFA, and we want to use this partnership to expand that reputation even further, and to position Guild as everyone’s favourite Esports team!”

Guild Esports is part-owned by legendary English footballer David Beckham, and has commercial partnerships with sandwich chain Subway, peripherals brand HyperX, and display brand Samsung Odyssey.

According to the club, its Fan Tokens will create new experiences for its supporters, giving them “countless engagement opportunities”, including the chance to vote in a series of interactive polls across a number of decisions each football season. 

Fans will also be able to access exclusive club-related content, experience Socios.com’s geolocation, augmented reality Token Hunt feature, and compete against others in games, competitions, and quizzes, to earn real-life and digital club-related rewards. 

The launch date of the $SAM Fan Token and more information will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Other Turkish football clubs partnered with Socios.com include Bursa, Galatasaray, Trabzonspor, İstanbul Başakşehir, Göztepe, and Alanyaspor.

The deal makes QuinnBet the club’s Official UK and Republic of Ireland betting partner and back-of-shirt sponsor – with the site’s logo featured on the back of the men’s first-team home, away, and third shirts. 

QuinnBet has said it will be working in line with the club’s community ethos, and will be supporting its Community Sports Trust, and projects focused on health, wellbeing, and education. Bournemouth supporters will also have the opportunity to win match tickets and signed club merchandise. 

Commenting on the news, commercial director of AFC Bournemouth, Rob Mitchell, said: “We’re delighted to partner with QuinnBet in what is a lucrative deal for the football club.

“We felt that the ambition and ethos of QuinnBet was close to ours and are delighted that not only will they be receiving some great benefits from us, they’ll also be helping the local community within our Community Sports Trust by providing education and funding.

“Any messaging and campaigns that we will be involved in will have a clear emphasis on responsible gambling and the importance of remaining in control. Thank you to Peter Halpin from Halpin Sport for introducing us to QuinnBet and helping secure this partnership.”

QuinnBet’s Managing Director, Stephen Kelly, added: “We are delighted to partner with a club that has the long traditions and history, as well as some fantastic recent achievements in the Premier League.

“Like the Cherries, we operate in an industry dominated by large competitors, but that doesn’t detract from our ambitions to climb to the top. To get there, our philosophy is simple and based on providing unrivalled customer support, together with giving more back, and always promoting responsible gambling as an integral part of our ethos.

“To this end, we are especially pleased to be partnering with Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust to promote wellbeing, education, and awareness around gambling.

“Over the course of the season, we intend to run several competitions in association with the club for club merchandise, match tickets together with price boosts and enhanced offers for AFC Bournemouth’s home and away matches for if you enjoy a responsible bet.”

Fans will be able to purchase shirts with the QuinnBet logo, but it will not be available on children’s shirts.

The first collection, INFLUXO x Ronaldinho, will feature seven one-of-a-kind exclusive pieces featuring the Brazilian soccer star. Starting bids for the auction will be 20,000 USDT, with winners getting the NFT and a redeemable feature to unlock an in-person experience with Ronaldinho in Dubai next year – including a round-trip ticket, two-day hotel stay, and a gala dinner. 

Sports legend card NFTs will also be available in a stock sale for 299 USDT. A complete series consists of six cards and one airdropping card. Collectors holding the complete set will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win the same Dubai experience with the auction winners, or a real, autographed jersey. 

Daniel Liu, partner at INBlockchain and CEO of INFLUXO, said: “INFLUXO is breaking the mold as far as NFT platforms by making the process from creation to auction easier than ever before with unprecedented opportunities to own virtual collectibles that lead to real world experiences. 

“Our trusted platform, seamless user experience and trusted team of investors and developers has allowed us to secure Ronaldinho for the platform’s first collection and we’re thrilled to show what’s in store for the future of digital collectibles.”

Ronaldinho himself added: “Growing up, collecting playing cards of your favorite players was the ultimate badge of honor. NFTs open a whole new world where digital assets converge with the real world and eSports to bring fandom to life.”

INFLUXO is backed by investors including INBlockchain, part of BigONE, and features robust payments rails, a proprietary NFT wallet, and a secured bidding history, as well as transactions on the Ethereum and RumSystem blockchain.

Below are previews of three of the NFTs (courtesy of INFLUXO)

After partnering with Chiliz, the global blockchain provider for the sports and entertainment industry, Arsenal will be launching its $AFC Fan Token on the Socios.com app, giving fans the ability to access exclusive club-related content and experiences. 

In addition to the chance to influence the club in various interactive polls each season, Fan Token holders will also be able to enjoy Socios.com’s geo-location, augmented reality feature Token Hunt, compete with other fans in club-related games, competitions, and quizzes, and earn real-life and digital accolades, benefits, and experiences. 

Peter Silverstone, Commercial Director at Arsenal, said: “We are excited to launch this partnership with Socios.com that will bring our huge global fan base even closer to the club. Socios.com are leading the way in blockchain in the sports industry, as we have seen from their relationships with other leading European clubs. When we launch the $AFC Fan Tokens together we will give our hundreds of millions of fans worldwide more opportunities to interact with the club and be a part of our global family.

“We are committed to finding new and innovative ways for all our supporters — whether local or international — to get closer to the club. In addition to fan focused initiatives such as our groundbreaking My Arsenal Rewards loyalty programme, and the Amazon All or Nothing documentary, the launch of the $AFC Fan Token is another example of our renewed efforts in this space. We’re excited to work with Socios.com to develop some amazing interactive opportunities for our fans to participate and interact with the Club they love.”

Staying with Socios.com, last week Argentina’s premier domestic football league, the Primera División, was renamed Torneo Socios.com for the 2021/22 season.

When Football Index, operated by Jersey-based BetIndex, suspended trading in March 2021, it was thought to have around 500K registered account holders, and approximately 30K regular users – with the average user estimated to have lost around GBP£3,000 each. 

Football Index customers can now request to withdraw their remaining balances, with transactions expected to take between 2 and 10 working days. Although the opening of withdrawals will come as some relief, users will still have to bear significant losses. 

As previously reported, the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, is in the process of investigating the collapse of Football Index, and serious questions have been raised as to how much the Gambling Commission really understood the operator’s business model.

The 23-minute comedy, written by Paddy Power Creative Content Managers Steven Quick and Noel Slevin, is set behind the scenes at Stockley Park – where the video assistant referee (VAR) system for English football is based. 

Paddy Power says we can expect to see a star-studded lineup with guest appearances from former pro footballers Alan Curbishley, Paul Ince, and Teddy Sheringham, along with former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg. 

The initial series consists of four episodes, and debuted on Ireland’s Virgin Media Two at 10.30pm yesterday, continuing for the next three Wednesdays. It will also be available on Paddy Power’s YouTube channel and streamed on Amazon Prime later in the month. 

In a statement, Paddy Power said: “The shambles at Stockley Park last season gave our brilliantly talented writers enough creative ideas to fuel an entire sitcom series, which Virgin Media and Amazon Prime wanted a piece of too. We have long been renowned at Paddy Power for our content – and we really feel we’ve raised the bar with The VAR Room, which we hope is our first sitcom series of many from our team.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Will other operators follow Paddy Power’s lead and start investing in long-form video content like this? With marketing getting ever more challenging due a combination of desensitisation and regulations, it might offer an effective way forward. 

Just a word of note to avoid confusion, if you’re looking for the new series on Paddy Power’s YouTube channel, be aware there’s also a series of shorts, also called The VAR Room, uploaded in 2019. 

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A team Atlético Mineiro are planning to launch their $GALO Fan Token in the near future, giving their fans new ways to engage with the club. Owners of Fan Tokens will gain voting rights in polls, and access to VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games, and competitions on the Socios.com mobile app. 

Leandro Figueiredo, Business Director of Clube Atlético Mineiro, commented: “We are very happy to announce this agreement with Socios.com, a great global partner, which once again shows Atlético’s pioneering spirit. We are always looking for ways to be closer to our fans and we are sure that fan tokens will be a major revolution in our relationship with them.”

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, added: “We have taken a huge step forward in our major expansion plans for South America by partnering with our first Brazilian club.

“Fan Tokens have already generated over $150M in revenues for our partners in 2021 alone and it’s only right that this fast growing phenomenon now takes root in Brazil. I’m excited that the shift from passive to active fans, that’s going to be vital to the future of sport, has now started in Brazil — a country where the passion and talent for the beautiful game is known the world over.

“We’re just getting started here. Brazil and South America as a whole represents an amazing opportunity for us and we’re very excited about what the future holds.”

Atlético Mineiro will be joining a growing international network of over 35 leading sports properties on the Socios.com roster, including FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Manchester City, and Atlético Madrid.

Beyond football, MMA organisations the UFC and PFL have both launched Fan Tokens on Socios.com, as have NASCAR team Roush Fenway Racing, and Aston Martin Cognizant and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN of Formula One are set to follow soon. Three of India’s biggest cricket teams also joined the Socios.com network last month, as did the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. 

The Argentina National soccer team will also become the first national team in the world to launch their Fan Token today, with fans already looking forward to voting for a slogan to grace the team plane and bus throughout the Copa América.