Sorare, the blockchain-based fantasy platform, is set to release a collection of online fantasy game non-fungible tokens (NFTs) featuring Scottish soccer players after striking a multi-year licensing agreement with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).
The deal sees the SPFL become the tenth soccer league to agree a deal with Sorare, following among others Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s LaLiga, and the US’ Major League Soccer.
Starting today (April 20), users will be able to buy and exchange player cards featuring most SPFL players and build their teams in the various fantasy leagues the platform operates.
The French-based platform essentially operates a soccer trading card game in which individual cards are digital products that increase or decrease in value based on real-world performances.
The cards are tradeable with other players of the game and can be sold on the marketplace, giving the leagues a new revenue stream. Some, such as the Cristiano Ronaldo card, have sold for more than $100,000.
The deal only covers 11 of the 12 clubs in the Premiership after reigning league champions Rangers stepped out of the agreement due to their “pre-existing conflicting commercial obligations”.
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By GlobalDataRangers are in the middle of a two-year deal with NFT augmented reality sports trading platform Sportemon Go, which launched a range of digital collectable products and fan engagement activities as part of its agreement. It is due to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The club also signed a sponsorship deal with cryptocurrency trading platform Bitci last year, which included the launch of the Rangers fan token.
However, Sorare said it would look to “onboard Rangers as soon as we can”.
Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said: “The SPFL is always looking for innovative ways to offer our fans more enriching experiences and to broaden the appeal of our competitions to audiences from around the world.
“We’ve been looking at the digital market as a way to do that for some time and it quickly became clear that Sorare is a leader in this emerging category.”
Last year, Sorare completed a $680-million funding round that valued the company at $4.3 billion. It claims to have over 1.5 million registered users worldwide.
Along with the 10 leagues, Sorare’s growing portfolio of soccer partners comprises 230 clubs, including England’s Liverpool, Germany’s Bayern Munich, France’s Paris Saint-Germain, Spain’s Atletico Madrid, and Italy’s Juventus.
Earlier this year, it was reported Sorare is one of four companies shortlisted by English soccer’s Premier League as it seeks to launch its first NFT license.