This English club from the 6th English division has just announced that it will accept payment in Bitcoin through the Lightning Network to buy tickets for its matches. A national start that brings the close links between crypto and sport back to light!
A first for an English club
The modest English club of Oxford City has just made history. In fact, he will be the first to offer it to his fans payment via bitcoin don game tickets but also the food or drink inside their home stadium, Oxford City’s Raw Charging. This payment method will complement the existing ones. It is thanks to the technology of Lightning Networka Bitcoin-backed overlay that enables fast payments and transactions, to enable this innovation.
The club is also established a sponsorship partnership over several years with CoinCorner, a crypto business based on the Isle of Man. The logo of the company as well as the logo of the Bitcoin will appear on club players jersey.
Oxford City players jersey (source: CoinCorner)
In addition, CoinCorner lthe main party of the opening game of the season, this Saturday August 6. CoinCorner CEO Danny Scott says:
We believe this initiative will create a movement across all English divisions as digital currencies become the new normal for sports fans and event goers of all kinds in the UK.
This partnership is made possible especially thanks to OxBit, Oxford Bitcoin Supporters Meeting. The latter regularly organizes Bitcoin events within the Oxford club facilities. This is how the idea of the partnership came to life, after several discussions:
A three-way call was held and things progressed from there as the club realized and could see the impact CoinCorner could have in Bitcoin education and adoption.
Oxford City play in the National League South, which is equivalent of the 6th national level. If we are still far from the level of Liverpool or Manchester City, this news is a no more in favor of accepting bitcoin abroad. The club’s director of football, Justin Merritt says about Bitcoin adoption:
It’s not mandatory for people to embrace this new technology, but we believe Bitcoin payment will become the new normal in English football over the years.
Cryptography and sport: a booming alliance
Football and all professional sports opening more and more to the world of cryptocurrencies. In recent months we have been able to observe many partnerships between clubs and companies or projects in the cryptographic sector. Lhe Formula 1 is very well positioned in this race for crypto partnerships. We find in particular Crypto.com, which recently became a sponsor of the new sprint qualifying format in the discipline of the queen of motor sport and is also present on the edges of the track as an overall sponsor.
The Redbull team concluded a contract with the ByBit exchange for almost an amount $150 million. So the exchange is now on display on the car of world champion Max Verstaapen and that of his teammate Sergio “Checo” Perez. FTXanother first class exchange, is partner of rival Mercedes. Binance is featured at BWT Alpine recently and has also sent a fan sign this season, like some football clubs before.
Blockchain projects are also present in the paddocks with the Fantom blockchain sponsored by Alpha Tauri or Velas can be seen on the legendary Ferrari. F1 is not the only one interested in the bubbling world of cryptocurrencies. La Liga, the Spanish football leaguel, has entered into partnership with Sorare, the fantasy football platform based on the Ethereum blockchain. The MLB, North American baseball league he just followed suit.
The NBA is not left out, as Crypto.com is featured in particular on a Philadelphia 76ers jersey and that the FTX and Crypto.com exchanges respectively bought the naming rights for the respective halls of the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers from the legend Lebron James.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid sports the Crypto.com logo on his jersey (source L’Equipe)
The crypto industry is like that Eager for partnerships and sponsorship with sports clubs or institutions. Undoubtedly, the major players in the sector see it as a way to promote the adoption of cryptocurrencies on a global scale through sport.
To learn about the connections between sport and crypto, find our full article here.
