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A fan-centric sports membership club has been launched by Manchester United player Phil Jones. Dubbed Red Lion Sports Club (RLSC), the project is described as a “unique venue in the metaverse” where fans can rub virtual shoulders with athletes and celebrities, watch content, play games and enter competitions.
Jones has teamed up with Swedish media platform Antourage to found the Club, which is accessed via a special metaverse-ready Red Lion non-fungible token (NFT). Some 4,000 tokens designed by celebrated AR creator Doddz have been minted on the Solana platform, priced at 2 SOL per NFT (SOL is currently trading at around $127).
Making Moves in the Metaverse NFTs have proven to be a hit with sports fans in recent years, with NBA Top Shot by far the biggest success story. Built on the Flow blockchain, the officially licensed dApp allows users to buy trading cards featuring basketball highlights and digital artwork, commodities can then be traded on the secondary market. To date, the project has managed to generate over $880 million worth of trading volume according to DappRadar.
Red Lion Sports Club is a different kind of proposition, as NFTs merely represent the means of access to a private club that offers its own unique perks. These include the ability to vote on topics such as content programming and to compete for prizes that are only open to NFT holders. Members also gain access to all future Clubs owned by the project. The first, Red Lion Football Club, is expected to launch prior to this summer’s Women’s EURO 2022.
Having recently endured a lengthy injury lay-off before returning to the pitch, defender Jones revealed that he has been busy learning about Web 3.0, calling it “something I am genuinely passionate about.” He added, “The idea behind the Red Lion Sports Club is to enable a new way of engaging with fans that promotes a genuine sense of community rooted in mutual respect for other members.”
“Fans should be at the centre of the content ecosystem and be rewarded for their engagement,” agrees Antourage CEO Johan Junker. “Red Lions Sports Club fully represents this philosophy and Web 3.0, driven by the metaverse, will expedite this change that will deliver greater value and a richer experience for fans and creators alike.”
Although RLSC will open to members in April, it is expected to launch into a prominent metaverse ahead of the upcoming World Cup, which gets underway in November. The club will initially focus on some of the biggest events in the sporting calendar, with presenters such as Rachel Stringer already onboard to create content tailored to staples in the sporting calendar such as the British Grand Prix, golf’s British Open, the NBA playoffs and, inevitably, English Premier League fixtures.
Metaverse Opens Doors for Fan Engagement Although Jones has founded Red Lion Sports Club on his own initiative, major football clubs are increasingly entering the metaverse to create immersive experiences for their global fan bases. The most recent example is Liverpool, who launched an LFC Heroes Club collection to raise funds for its Foundation.
Just like the NBA, the Premier League is also planning to unveil a suite of digital collectibles in a deal that could be worth $589 million over four years. Top Shot creator Dapper Labs is said to be in the running, having already tied up a deal with the National Football League (NFL).
“Red Lion Sports Club will be a venue for fans of all sports that want to have a say in how a digital community grows and develops, interact with athletes, celebrities and other members, and influence the content that will be created around major events,” predicts Jones. “I’m really excited to have developed this project with Antourage and can’t wait to start welcoming people to the Red Lion Sports Club community.”
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