Posted: 13 / 04 / 2022
Super League side, Warrington Wolves, have become the world’s first professional rugby league club to dive into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), with the first range a trading card style design bearing the face of star player George Williams.
Non-fungible tokens – or NFTs – are unique digital artworks which tokenise an object that exists in the real world, such as art and collectibles. NFTs are secured by blockchain – meaning they can then be bought and sold online with cryptocurrency, with only one official owner at any time.
NFTs enjoyed a mainstream breakthrough in recent times, with the Financial Times reporting that nearly $41bn had been spent on the digitised artworks in 2021 alone. In comparison, the global art market was estimated to be worth $50.1bn in the same period, according to UBS and Art Basel.
Warrington Wolves’ entry to the NFT digital space sees the release of seven artworks which also come complete with a personalised video message and physical framed Wolves shirt signed by the England international.
On the move, Warrington chief executive Karl Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports:
“I think number of supporters are still trying to get their head around it, but we’ve had quite a lot of positive feedback in terms of the club being at the forefront of new media and new platforms.
“It demonstrates we are willing to push the boundaries and innovate,
and being progressive is one of our core values.“One of our core values is to be progressive and therefore I think it’s really important we entered this digital space because these are the platforms younger supporters and audiences are engaged in.
“It’s important we as a club are on these platforms and speaking a language young people understand.”
On supporting the Super League side with their move into the NFT market, Sedulo Managing Partner, Paul Cheetham- Karcz added:
“We work with a number of clubs in various sports, and Warrington Wolves are certainly at the forefront of innovation and adoption in their arena.
“Blockchain technology is becoming ever more commonplace in our daily lives, so it’s not surprising to its arrival in organisations, particularly in sport. The NBA have already embraced it to good effect so it’s only natural that other sports will follow suit.
“Congratulations to Karl and Warrington Wolves for being the first rugby league club in the space, and we’re of course really proud to be supporting them by becoming the owner of NFT No. 0001 – the first NFT in global rugby league history.”