Phil Jones, Manchester United’s defender has joined the metaverse as the most prominent sportsperson. Jones, who has been on the club’s books since 2011, has joined forces with Web3 firm Antourage to develop an exclusive metaverse members project dubbed Red Lion Sports Club (RLSC).
It will be a type of online gated community that allows holders of NFTs to interact with each other, play and view games, participate in competitions, and donate their money. Designed by noted augmented reality creator Doddz, only 4,000 algorithmically-generated Red Lion member NFTs will be released on the Solana blockchain, at a cost of two SOL (around $250 at current prices).
An innovative model for fan engagement
Scheduled to launch in the coming month, , Red Lion Sports Club will focus on major sports events such as Premier League games, the NBA playoffs, Formula 1’s British Grand Prix and golf’s British Open, with fan-influenced content and mini-games devoted to the various sporting occasions.
“Over the past six months I’ve been researching and learning about Web 3.0 and the potential of the metaverse,”Jones has been a United player for over 100 matches and won the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League trophies.
“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. RLSC 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.”
Red Lion Sports Club was the first project in metaverse Antourage, a Stockholm-based startup. Co-founder Johan Junker stated that he was involved. “thrilled to have Phil on board as the driving force behind RLSC.” He explained, “This project is at the heart of Antourage’s existence: to connect passion-driven fan communities with authentic content that is distributed across the latest social platforms.
“We believe fans should be at the centre of the content ecosystem and be rewarded for their engagement. Red Lion 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.”
Junker and Jones plan to place their sports-centric members club in a prominent metaverse and create additional content and activations, as the community grows.
Premier League stars go mad for Meta
Many metaverse lovers now reside in Old Trafford’s dressing room. Jadon Sáncho, who recently collaborated with Genies for his first digital avatar, while Luke Shaw launched his own NFT range. FanCraze was also funded by $100 million last week. This company creates NFTs that are based on the major cricket tournaments.
Elsewhere in the English top flight, United’s cross-town rivals City have teamed up with Sony to reproduce their Etihad Stadium in virtual reality. The digitally mapped stadium could eventually ‘host’ live games, giving fans – or the digital avatars that represent them – the opportunity to enjoy a match day experience from the comfort of their own home.