AFL’s first limited edition NFT slip sells out in less than 12 hours

by · August 17, 2022

The Australian Football League’s (AFL) first limited edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs) went live on Wednesday, selling out in just under 12 hours.

On 17 August, the Football League launched “Ripper Skipper 2022” through its AFL Mint program, which allowed people who joined the “permit list” to buy one of 3,800 packs reserved for release.

The packs came with a retail price of 34.39 USDC each, with the project estimated to have raised over $130,000 in USDC.

Ripper Skipper 2022 NFTs features 78 key moments and highlights from the 2021 season using both video and audio. Each pack contains three “moments” in a trio of different rarity levels, common, deluxe and ovations.

Limited edition digital content is also available; everyone who took part in the first drop has a 10% chance of getting an AFL Mint Genesis Ball.

While the first coin sold out within hours, the wider public will have access to another drop on August 24.

AFL shares Metaverse plans

NFTs are digital certificates stored on the blockchain that prove ownership of a digital or physical asset, often a piece of art, but the AFL Mint has plans to expand the concept to offer game day events, tickets and the chance to meet players in the Metaverse.

Kylie Rogers, managing director of Customer and Commercial at the AFL, said they hope to use the technology to create better fan experiences.

“Through our AFL Mint brand, we will launch exciting new moments across our men’s and women’s competitions, plus celebrate past greats and other product releases that will provide a unique fan experience never seen before.”

The AFL announced its NFT marketplace, AFL Mint, back in April, revealing that it had signed a five-year partnership with Be Media, a Perth-based subsidiary of Hong Kong NFT gaming giant Animoca Brands.

Related: Australian Football League secures $25M deal with Crypto.com

The marketplace will launch in 2023, allowing the sale and trade of moments between fans and collectors.

Follows the lead

With the launch of their Ripper Skipper 2022 NFTs, the AFL has followed in the footsteps of other international sporting codes that have ventured into the Web3 world.

The NBA launched its marketplace NBA Top Shot in 2020 to critical acclaim, while the UFC created UFC Strike in February of this year.

Other Australian sporting codes have also followed suit; Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Singapore-based collectibles platform Rario and NFT trading company BlockTrust in April.

While the Queensland Rugby League had a 10,000 NFT drop titled ‘The Ultimate Queenslander NFT’ on the Flow Blockchain.