In a relatively short time, soccer teams have started to finance themselves through so-called “fan tokens”. These are a type of cryptoasset used by soccer and other fan clubs to
- Democratize and organize experiences,
- Democratize club decision making among fans
- Finance and obtain more income:
Once users gain access to a certain number of tokens, they are given the right to vote on a variety of issues related to their club. These issues on which fans can vote are largely up to the club, but could include:
- Club merchandising design.
- Issues related to ticket sales
- Decide MVPs best players
- Obtain discounts
- Participate in sweepstakes
How to buy a fan token?
There is a public offering called “fan token offering”, in which a package of these tokens are offered for sale at a fixed price agreed between the company or soccer team and the platform (i.e. socios.com) for a limited period of time.
These tokens usually have a starting price of between €1 and €2 and are typically drawn between 200,000 and one million, depending on the size of the team. Once the quota is exhausted, more come back to the market but at a price set by supply and demand for that specific fan token.
When F. C. Barcelona launched its initial fan token offering in June 2020, the tokens sold out in less than two hours, generating US $1.3 million for the club.
In addition, these sports tokens are fully fungible (unlike NFTs) and can be exchanged for other cryptocurrencies. If teams create more utility for these sports tokens or for example win a league, this will have a direct impact on the demand for these tokens. A classic example of this occurred when Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG) signed Lionel Messi in August 2021, the token’s price went from $22 to $57 in a matter of days, benefiting token holders worldwide.
https://es.tradingview.com/symbols/PSGUSDT/
What is the real utility of these fan tokens as of today?
That allows you to vote in relation to minor aspects of the club, such as the design of the FB Barcelona first team wardrobe. See the link to the FB Barcelona website where the initiative is explained.
Another example is Atletico Madrid, which asked its “fan tokers” to vote for the design of the club’s official mask that would then be put on sale.
https://twitter.com/socios/status/1348595179025031168
How useful are they?
Accumulating these tokens allows you to have more influence on club decisions. However, teams try to limit the maximum number of assets a user can have to prevent them from having too much power. For example, it allows you to vote in exclusive polls on the content that your team/club will publish on social networks.
On the other hand, you can also access discounts, exclusive promotions and even unique experiences.
On the sidelines of soccer and somewhat more advanced we have the NBA, which in 2019 teamed up with Dapper Labs to create its own NFTs, the NBA Top Shot, which collect the most outstanding plays of the competition. Le Bron James’ dunk with the Lakers in 2020 is valued at about $240,000.
Think about it, the new generations want to feel identified with what they do and what they consume. Why not apply it to the clubs they admire and have followed since they were kids? Owning something in which you feel identified and that on top of that allows you to have decision-making power is the perfect formula.
What platforms are currently available?
Today, there are only two main platforms: socios.com and bitci. Both platforms are used to buy and exchange tokens. Both use blockchain technology in order to get closer to the fans. However, there are differences.
Socios.com, which is the global partner of the Spanish League, uses Ethereum to develop its tokens. Its tokens are developed with the ERC-20 standard of the Ethereum network, so you can buy it from various exchanges. Here we find the vast majority of first division teams that have fan tokens (PSG, Barcelona or Milan).
In contrast, Bitci’s will be built on its own private blockchain. This makes them available only on the Bitci.com exchange. This makes access difficult and affects the price. We found the Spanish National Team, El deportivo Alavés and even the Brazilian National Team.
Here is a list of the 6 most relevant soccer fan tokens on the socios.com platform as of January 2022:
| Name | Price | 24h | Market Cap | Volume (24h) | Circulating Supply | Max Supply | |
| 1 | Atlético Madrid | $ 6,77 | -0,35% | $ 67.680.109,74 | $ 612.630,84 | 9.997.062 | 10.000.000 |
| 2 | Paris Saint-Germain$PSG | $ 15,01 | +0,74% | $ 46.697.325,81 | $ 1.239.030,47 | 3.111.081 | 19.890.000 |
| 3 | Manchester City$CITY | $ 10,57 | +2,68% | $ 40.253.921,26 | $ 920.340,47 | 3.808.317 | 10.000.000 |
| 4 | Roma$ASR | $ 3,85 | +0,98% | $ 38.465.569,45 | $ 365.750,00 | 9.991.057 | 9.995.000 |
| 5 | Barcelona$BAR | $ 7,98 | +0,57% | $ 23.546.218,92 | $ 737.551,50 | 2.950.654 | 39.960.000 |
| 6 | Juventus$JUV | $ 8,04 | +0,07% | $ 21.735.520,92 | $ 706.434,60 | 2.703.423 | 19.960.000 |
fuente: https://fantokenrank.com/
Atlético de Madrid: Last year’s Spanish league champion has a price of $6.77 and a market cap of $67,680,109.74. It has a moderate volatility fluctuating between $8.5 and $6.5 dollars in a month. With a total of 9,997,062 tokens in circulation and a maximum availability capacity of 10,000,000 tokens.
Paris Saint-Germain: Reigning champion of the French league with a price of $15.00 and a market cap of $46,666,215. Current volatility is moderate, fluctuating between $18 and $14. The most noteworthy would be the difference between the number of tokens circulating 3,111,081vs theMAX supply which is 19,890,000.
Manchester City: A team of this magnitude could not be missing in this world. It has a price of $10.52 and a market cap of $40,063,505. They have a total of 3,808,317 tokens circulating.
Roma: The current Team coached by José Mourinho is paid at $3.85 per fan token and has a market cap of $38,165,837. Volatility is more pronounced than in other equipment, reaching values between $5 and $3.6. The circulating tokens have reached the maximum production total as we have 9,991,057 circulating vs. 9,995,000 to be put into circulation.
Barcelona: the historic club that was also an early adopter of fan tokens. Currently, the price is $7.98 and has a market cap of $23,546,218.92. One-month volatilities range around 20% from $10.5 to $7.8. It is interesting because, as of today, there are a total of 2,950,654 tokens are available and the goal is to reach 39,960,000 tokens.
Juventus: the famous “la vecchia signora” could not be missing either, its current price is $ 8.04 with a market cap of $ 21,465,178.62. We have a volatility similar to that of Barcelona of around 20% in the last month. It has a total of 2,703,423 tokens circulating vs. the 19,960,000 that they want to put into circulation.
It is interesting to see how these fan tokens fare throughout the season. A very interesting case was that of the signing of Messi, which dramatically boosted the price of PSG and negatively affected Barcelona.
Our opinion
On the other hand, it is interesting to see how clubs such as PSG, Barcelona or Juventus intend to continue producing these tokens. Apart from the decisions or benefits that these Fans tokens give you, we see that it is a new instrument for clubs to earn more money and to finance themselves in an easier way. And by the looks of it, they will continue to do so, at least until the maximum quota of stipulated tokens is reached.
