March 25 – Premier League Liverpool have launched their first NFTs, a collection of illustrations of 24 Liverpool men’s team players based on their individual likenesses and superhero characteristics.
Liverpool said it has “created two categories of digital collectibles – a set of 24 unique ‘Legendary’ 1 of 1 NFTs, and a series of generative ‘Hero Edition’ NFTs that combine multiple player illustrations.”
The ’Legendary’ digital collectibles will be on sale in a three-day auction from Wednesday 30 March to Friday 1 April.
During the sale fans will have the opportunity to own a unique randomly generated ‘Hero’ Edition, which will be revealed once the auction comes to an end. The equivalent of opening a pack of football cards, these will be priced at $75, around £56.
Liverpool are working with Sotheby’s on the digital artwork while the three-day sale will be managed on the energy efficient blockchain Polygon.
Drew Crisp, senior vice president of digital, Liverpool FC, said: “The LFC Heroes Club drop is a first-of-its-kind initiative, which seeks to bring a new, exciting and innovative way for supporters around the world to engage with the club…
“We wanted to create a really accessible collection of NFTs that are truly unique to LFC, and simply give fans an opportunity to explore this new and trending topic, and most importantly, give fans the choice to buy one should they wish.”
Crisp said that their research found that almost a quarter of 18–34-year-olds would be likely or very likely to participate in official NFT offerings.
The club said it “would like to make it clear to supporters that its NFTs are digital collectable works of art and should not be considered investments.”
The club said that proceeds from the ‘Legendary’ 1 of 1 auction will go to supporting the LFC Foundation, with an additional 10% from Liverpool’s limited edition ‘Hero’ sale and 10% of all future resale royalties.
Sebastian Fahey, Sotheby’s Managing Director for EMEA and Executive Lead for Sotheby’s Metaverse, said: “This first-of-its-kind NFT collection marks a turning point in how NFTs can be used to engage fan communities with tailored releases and unique concepts specially designed for their supporters.
“Together we have created a new digital art collection, which celebrates LFC heroes and leverages our web3 technology to enable the club’s passionate and global supporter group to be a part of this exciting initiative for the long-term.”
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