Manchester United launch official NFT digital collectibles with Tezos

• The NFT collection is based on the Tezos blockchain
• The first release will be given away with more available for purchase in the future
• The global community will be invited to influence future falls

English football giants Manchester United have launched their first official non-fungible token (NFT) collection, with the first drop of digital collectibles being given away to fans for free.

The Premier League outfit say they want to create a Web 3.0 community that will “educate, reward and unite” their global fan base through digital and real-world experiences.

The club describes NFTs as a new form of digital memorabilia and an opportunity for supporters to “own” a piece of the club’s history, while receiving rewards associated with ownership of their token.

The digital collectibles are based on official training equipment partner Tezos’ blockchain platform, with future collections inspired by the club’s history made available for purchase later this season. The club promises that 20 percent of all revenue will be donated to the Manchester United Foundation.

Backers who receive a free NFT will be invited to join the community on Discord and influence the shape of future drops.

“Like old football traditions, such as collecting match programmes, club badges and sticker books, fans will soon have the opportunity to collect this new type of digital memorabilia,” said Phil Lynch, managing director of digital products and experiences at Manchester United.

“After closely following the Web 3.0 space and consulting with fans for their views on how this unique virtual world should work, we have worked with Tezo’s ecosystem team to apply these learnings and believe the launch of Manchester United’s digital collectibles is unlike any other , enabling unique and enhanced engagement opportunities for our incredible fans.”

“It’s an honor to be part of the Club’s first step into Web 3.0 by creating digital collectibles that the Club and its followers will treasure for years to come,” added Mason Edwards, Chief Commercial Officer at the Tezos Foundation.

“It requires an understanding of football and the history of the club, but also a blockchain that is powerful, decentralized, resilient and scalable to do that. That’s Tezos.”

SportsPro says…

It seemed only a matter of time before a club with the commercial ambition and global fan base that Manchester United possesses became involved in the NFTs. As Phil Lynch has described the club as a “fast follower”, the management will have researched the best practices, successes and failures of others in the industry.

This will include arch-rivals Liverpool, who also stressed the need to appeal to a global fan base and create new experiences for their digitally native supporters.

The close involvement of Tezos will undoubtedly have been invaluable in United’s case, while the club has preempted many of the criticisms that always come their way by emphasizing the utility and community of the NFTs. It has also promised a range of educational material which includes tutorials with men’s and women’s team players.

However, these measures are unlikely to placate critics who believe such NFTs are exploitative, speculative items that provide little value to fans or leave them out of pocket – especially at a time when the crypto market is struggling.

Like much of United’s commercial activity, these collectibles are clearly focused on international fans, many of whom never set foot at Old Trafford. Even in harmonious times, these will be a hard sell to season ticket holders in the Stretford End – even less so when they’re wearing green and gold scarves and calling for “Glazers out”.