Spanish LaLiga football club Barcelona has launched Barça Vision, a platform that unifies its Web3, NFT and metaverse initiatives.
These initiatives previously fell under the Bridgeburg Invest brand, a Barça Studios subsidiary. The new platform is designed to be a key aspect of the club’s strategy for building the Barça Digital Space.
Barcelona is working to create an integrated ecosystem of club products, services and content to enhance the experience for fans at the stadium or watching matches at home.
Joan Moya, managing director of Barça Vision, said: “We launched an NFT featuring Johan Cruyff in a very high-profile manner in July 2022. We announced it in Times Square while Barça were on tour, and then it was put up for auction.
“Barça will have valuable digital assets. We have masterpiece number 2 on the way. It will be special and different from the one before, but also very representative of today’s Barça. We are also working on a project to create virtual versions of the spaces in the old stadium, because we want the old Camp Nou to remain immortal, to be in the metaverse. The same goes for the new Camp Nou and Espai Barça as a whole.”
Barcelona recently partnered with Plastiks to launch a series of NFTs, with proceeds to support the fight against plastic pollution.
Elsewhere in Spanish football, second-tier Segunda División team CD Leganés has claimed a first with the launch of an innovative NFT campaign.
The initiative invites season ticket holders to acquire a digital plot of turf on the Estadio Municipal Butarque pitch. When a Leganés player scores a goal, the fan who owns the plot of the pitch from where the shot is taken will be given a free season ticket the following season.
If a fan owns a plot where an assist takes place, they will be given a signed shirt. The area where the first yellow card is shown will reward fans with special VIP experiences, while the point from which the referee blows the full-time whistle will reward fans with a 15% discount at the club shop.
Telecommunications company Vodafone has signed a multi-year extension to its partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union.
Vodafone will use its 5G network to enhance matchday experiences for fans at the Principality Stadium and supporters watching at home. From July 1, Vodafone will become the principal partner of men’s, women’s and pathway rugby in Wales.
Vodafone first partnered with the WRU in September last year, with the deal designed to make Principality Stadium the most connected stadium in the world.
NHL ice hockey team the St. Louis Blues has signed a multi-year agreement with blockchain software company Credenza to launch a first-of-its-kind integration of the firm’s Web3 software and proprietary open-source technology into the franchise’s app-based fan engagement programme, Bluenatics.
The enhanced Bluenatics Passport programme will serve as a universal ID for all fan activities across ticketing, concessions, retail, partner locations and online. The Blues will be able to centralise the data flow using Credenza’s Web3 software, allowing the team to deliver discounts, offers and exclusive experiences in real time, based on fan habits, purchases and behaviours.
From the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, Blues fans who opt in to the programme featuring Credenza’s proprietary Passport ID technology will be eligible for prizes such as tickets, merchandise, gift cards or exclusive experiences.
Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami has entered into a partnership with mobile technology and e-commerce platform Venuetize.
Supporters will now be able to follow Inter Miami news, see live scores, look at upcoming fixtures, team standings, buy and transfer tickets, receive transportation and rideshare information, and browse the team’s mobile store.
The recreated Inter Miami CF app will also become a “one-stop shop” for the matchday fan experience. Inter Miami has partnered with Venuetize as it prepares to welcome the high-profile arrival of Lionel Messi.
English League Two football club Mansfield Town has announced that a brand new digiBOARD perimeter system will be in place at One Call Stadium for the 2023-24 season.
Mansfield has teamed up with digital stadium specialist ADI to install the new system, which the club hopes will drive more revenue streams and offer a more attractive commercial platform to sponsors.
