After the Stade Français, the Section paloise, the Aviron bayonnais or the Rugby Club Toulonnais, the National Rugby League (LNR) decides to embark on the adventure of the NFT. An adventure that aims to attract a fan base younger for the Top 14 and the Pro D2. This is a first for a team sports league in France. This project will consist of three tenders over three seasons from 2022 to 2025.
The Top 14 NFT project isn’t a rugby club’s first NFT venture
And yet, this unprecedented approach of the NRL is not the first meeting between the worlds of NFT and rugby… If it is indeed the first national league in the country to embark on NFT, as Emmanuel Eschalier, director general of the LNR, several French clubs such as Stade Français, Section paloise and Aviron bayonnais had signed with Sorare du rugby: Sponsorlive. A first adventure in the new Web3.0 Panini. The Warrington Wolves club had also taken the lead, being the first rugby club to have an NFT collection.
A promising NFT market for Top 14 clubs
Over three seasons, there will be three batches of NFTs on sale. The first will include the NFT cards of the thirty Top 14 clubs and ProD2. We can find the cards of 1466 players including 1072 pros and 394 hopefuls whose prices may vary depending on the rarity, the player, etc. The second batch will include collector video moments of rugby’s greatest moments. From the 1998-1999 season until today, rugby fans will be able to collect archive videos of the Top 14 and ProD2. Finally, the third batch will be an open market, allowing all owners or potential buyers to trade NFTs.
Rugby has a bright future with NFTs
With such a market, French rugby could well open the door to many fans of both the sport and non-fungible chips. “Regarding the economic model dimension and the revenues that could be generated by this new offer, it is totally premature to anticipate or speculate. You must first be relevant in what is offered. Then, we will see the fallout, but our primary motivation is not financial, even if there is obviously an economic dimension and the ambition that this offer generates income. also believes Emmanuel Eschalier, director general of the LNR. A legitimate ambition since this market could well attract many fans of the oval ball, like Panini collectible cards in the past. With one detail, it is that blockchain technology offers a multitude of possibilities that did not exist until now.
We can see that the world of rugby is increasingly interested in NFTs and Web 3.0 in general. As also shown the recent engagement of Rugby Club Toulonnais with Doors3.io, an independent Web 3.0 consulting firm. As Emmanuel Eschalier pointed out, “We are in an innovation process. Rugby turned professional quite late, but it has always been in such an approach, whether in terms of refereeing or the use of technology. It’s a new form of innovation in a new field that will become increasingly important”. Sport in general, and particularly French rugby, are beginning to see the interest of blockchain technology and in particular NFTs which lend themselves perfectly to the expectations of fans.
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Gregory Morat
Student passionate about entrepreneurship and fascinated by the technologies behind cryptos! Yes, I am convinced that the two are intimately linked: blockchain and NFTs are revolutionizing many sectors and presenting unprecedented opportunities.
