British Soccer Club Oxford City to Embrace Bitcoin Payments (Report)

One of the oldest football clubs in the UK – Oxford City – will reportedly allow fans to buy match tickets, food and drinks in bitcoin instead of fiat currency. The initiative will see the light of day after a multi-year partnership between the team and the digital asset exchange CoinCorner.

Over the years, the football industry has interacted with the crypto world several times. Popular players such as Neymar, David Beckham, Andres Iniesta and Ronaldinho have shown their interest in the sector, while other clubs, such as Oxford City, have embraced digital currencies as a means of settlement.

BTC could become the ‘new normal’ in English football

According to coverage by the BBC, Oxford City teamed up with crypto platform CoinCorner to become the latest football team to accept the primary cryptocurrency as an alternative method for matchday payments as well as food and drink purchases.

The move is expected to go live this Saturday when the club face Eastbourne Borough at their home ground – Court Place Farm. In fact, as part of the multi-year agreement with CoinCorner, the stadium will be renamed RAW Charging Stadium, while the logo of the company will be embroidered on the back of the players’ shirts.

Oxford City’s director of football – Justin Merritt – noted that embracing the latest innovations such as bitcoin is essential for the team to “operate as a self-sustaining club” and reflect on its long-term strategies.

“It is not mandatory for people to engage with our new technology, but we believe that time payment via bitcoin will become the new normal in English football,” Merritt said.

Commenting on the move, Daniel Scott – CEO of CoinCorner – believes other football teams will follow Oxford City’s crypto path:

“It is pleasing to see the club become the first users of bitcoin payment in the National League. We believe this move will set a trend across non-league and Football League divisions as digital currency establishes itself as the new normal for sports fans and event goers across the UK.

Football and crypto

Many football icons have already jumped on the digital asset bandwagon in one form or another. First, Brazilian striker Neymar bought two non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from the popular pool Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC).

The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner – Ronaldinho – teamed up with the decentralized exchange P00LS to launch his own token, called RON. Before that, he partnered with Graph Blockchain to organize events and NFT experiences for fans.

As for Oxford City’s move, it’s worth mentioning that other clubs have already embraced cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. The Brazilian Sao Paulo, the Mexican Tigres and the Spanish RCD Espanyol are some examples.