Global Fútbol

Clubs are keen to take advantage of the metaverse and Web3 to offer fans more ways to connect around sport and football. Some LaLiga SmartBank clubs have partnered with experts to develop strategies in this field. Specifically, CD Tenerife, CD Leganés and SD Ponferradina have allied with W3 FanSports, a Spanish company specialised in blockchain technology, NFTs, fan tokens and metaverse integration for sports organisations.

As part of these agreements, W3 FanSports’ logo appears on the shorts of CD Tenerife’s kit and the sleeves of CD Leganés’ shirts, while the consultancy has become the strategic technology partner of SD Ponferradina for the next three years.

However, these partnerships go far beyond traditional sports sponsorship arrangements. The clubs have tasked W3 FanSports with designing strategies to better engage with fans online, with creating better lines of communication, with developing initiatives within the metaverse, with launching NFTs and fan tokens and with making the centenaries of CD Tenerife and SD Ponferradina extra special in a digital sense.

For its part, CD Leganés is giving away an NFT to visiting managers at matches played this season at the Estadio Municipal Butarque. In this way, the historic flags have been adapted and reinvented to give way to digital flags.

Javier Jiménez, the SD Ponferradina director of innovation, offered some more concrete examples, stating: “The opportunities for the club in the metaverse are, firstly, to digitise and create a replica of our El Toralín stadium, setting up a place for user experiences. We also want to recreate a digital museum showcasing the history of the 100 years of SD Ponferradina. These will be spaces where any user, no matter where they are in the world, will be able to interact. We’ll give the opportunity to our fans and sponsors, through specific NFTs, to have totally different experiences to the ones they can have in person, experiences that are only possible in the metaverse: access to the club's digital assets, access to official products such as wearables for their avatars via our official shop in the metaverse, access to unique historical digital archives, gaming, etc.”

At CD Tenerife, the plans aren’t quite as concrete at this moment in time, but marketing director David de Diego is just as excited. Discussing their partnership, he said: “The opportunities are varied and diverse, but the most attractive part is that they’ll provide new experiences for our fans, ones that are different from the traditional standards, as this is what we believe our youngest fans will value the most. The plan is to gradually implement initiatives as adoption among fans improves and as the resources advance to make the metaverse a part of everyday life.”

Those in charge at CD Leganés have a similarly open mindset, explaining: “The metaverse is a world for all of us to discover, but we are clear that we’ll explore the different opportunities that are sure to arise to offer them to our fans. What we are looking for is to reach out in new, entertaining and fun ways to our fans, to let them experience being a Lega fan in different ways, whether it's getting to see the new kit through virtual reality, or collecting NFTs, or games on their mobile device. For us, any way of sharing leisure time with our fans is always positive.”

The importance of new technologies at LaLiga SmartBank clubs

CD Leganés pointed out this isn’t the first time they’ve been at the forefront in the tech field. The club recalled: “A couple of seasons ago, we presented our new first kit through augmented reality and now we have this agreement with W3 FanSports, with whom we are working to create new experiences for our fans. The club has been working for years to be at the forefront of innovation and technology and, with the arrival of [new club owners] Blue Crow Sports Group, this dynamic is not only maintained but even extended to other areas of the club.”

David de Diego at CD Tenerife is also proud that his club is willing to step out of its comfort zone. He added: “Understanding the needs of members, season ticket holders and younger fans has to be a key objective for all teams, federations and competitions. It’s about globalising the brand and starting to explore other markets, getting out of our comfort zone and facing new challenges.”

Finally, SD Ponferradina’s Javier Jiménez summed up the logic and the reasons why LaLiga SmartBank clubs want to work with expert partners such as W3 FanSports. As he concluded: “Having these kinds of disruptive initiatives in place means improving the fan and sponsor experience, continuing the necessary innovation and digitalisation of the club in all areas, and finding new avenues of exposure and monetisation.”