This week, Borussia Dortmund, one of the most successful Bundesliga teams joined Fantastec’s “SWAP” digital collectibles blockchain platform. The “SWAP” mobile app aims to connect fans with their favorite sports. It’s the second major football team to sign up after Arsenal joined in February.
The platform allows fans to discover, collect and swap collectibles between each other. These include licensed club content such as player autographs and exclusive football videos. When users have compiled a complete set of rewards, they can earn rarer collectibles and other rewards through the app. All player profiles and the club contents are authenticated and time-stamped using blockchain technology.
“More than ever fans want more interaction and engagement with the teams and players they follow,” said Matthias Zerber, Borussia Dortmund, Managing Director of BVB Merchandising. Zerber says that SWAP is good “for all football fans around the globe that love the game and enjoy technology bringing them closer to the team.”
Fantastec is a London-based start-up using new technologies such as AI, blockchain and wearable tech to connect sports fans with their favorite sports.
Steve Madincea, Fantastec’s Managing Partner, commenting about SWAP said: “The innovative format provides exclusive player profiles containing a variety of special features including authenticated player signatures, one-off content and dynamic stats.”
Blockchain is being deployed in several ways in the sports sector. Another startup, socios.com has signed up Juventus and Paris Saint. Germain (PSG) for crypto tokens which enable fans to engage with the team including voting on certain decisions.
But the most significant application area is ticketing. Ticketmaster bought U.S.-based Upgraded which targets sports events. UEFA has trialed blockchain driven ticketing, and UK-based Footies Tech is focused on the segment.
