Manchester City, a Premier League football club, has joined forces with cryptocurrency exchange OKX to launch a new nonfungible token (NFT) collection. The campaign, called “Unseen City Shirts,” allows fans to have a chance at winning unique jerseys and matchday experiences. To participate, users can mint digital collectibles on the OKX app. The rarity of the NFTs determines the rewards, with commemorative football shirts featuring designs by artist Christian Jeffrey. The jerseys incorporate the Lancashire rose and the Manchester worker bee.
Haider Rafique, the CMO of OKX, explained that the algorithm determines the rarity of the NFTs. Five extremely rare NFTs provide access to a play-on-pitch experience, two match tickets, and a limited-edition City shirt. Another five rare NFTs offer a stadium tour experience, hospitality ticket, and a jersey with “The Roses and the Bees” design. OKX users can mint these NFTs at no cost within the OKX Marketplace.
Nuria Tarré, the Chief Marketing and Fan Experience Officer of Man City, stated that the NFT launch is part of the club’s strategy to engage a more tech-savvy audience that is open to new innovations and technology. Man City aims to bring digital ownership into the picture and believes that Web3 offers new possibilities. Tarré emphasized that owning a digital piece is an important aspect of Web3 as it changes the ownership process.
According to Tarré, Man City plans to explore Web3 further through its partnership with OKX and other avenues. The club has been experimenting with new technology in Web2 and metaverse environments, entering the world of Roblox in late 2022. Tarré described Web3 environments as progressive and exciting, with endless possibilities for sophistication, creation, and co-creation.
OKX has been actively pursuing sports partnerships, including collaborations with Manchester City and the Formula 1 team McLaren. The exchange has been exploring different marketing initiatives to tap into the fan bases of these sporting brands. Rafique explained that the past three years have focused on building foundational work to provide utility to sports fans and Web3 users. Starting with basic NFTs attached to physical goods sets the stage to create more utility-based ecosystems. He believes that with the progression of the industry and the partnership, product and technology infrastructure will continue to develop.
OKX initially partnered with Man City in March 2022 as the club’s official training kit partner for the 2022/23 season. The sponsorship expanded in June 2023, with OKX becoming City’s official sleeve partner in a new multi-year agreement.
This whole NFT craze is a scam. I feel sorry for anyone who falls for it.
These NFTs are going to be highly sought after! The rarity determines the rewards, and I can’t wait to see what special experiences and jerseys are up for grabs!
NFTs have no real value. It’s all just digital nonsense.
What a cash grab! They’re just trying to milk more money from their supporters.