Menu

Comment: Football And Cryptocurrency Together Forever?

As we all know, football is more than just a sport – it’s a global passion. Nothing really brings people together more, at least positively, than the beautiful game. Therefore, clubs are always looking for new ways to reach out to fans, and to help bring more people into the game.

 

With British clubs also courting overseas fans and supporters, there is a big push to try to be as inclusive as possible. Is the way forward to inclusivity through cryptocurrency? What exactly does digital money have to do with football, anyway?

 

Cryptocurrency in brief

 

Let’s look at crypto cash in brief. Cryptocurrency such as bitcoin and Ethereum is digital funds that people can ‘mine’. They use a system, or digital ledger, called blockchain. Blockchain allows users to record transactions and to effectively print money.

 

It’s popular with many people because it doesn’t have any kind of central bank control. It is also very quick and easy to trade in, with transactions generally taking place over seconds. It also appeals to people across countries and borders because it is a free-roaming, global way to trade. In a world where many people struggle with transaction fees and exchange times, it makes sense to adopt a system that’s less of a hassle.

 

Where football comes in

 

Here’s where we join everything together. As crypto offers people the chance to trade money online through global currency, there are no boundaries. Standard cash, or fiat money, needs time and extra handling fees to process. There are also always exchange rates.

 

Football clubs could be missing a trick, in that to appeal to international fans and supporters, they could sell tickets and merchandise with crypto in mind. They could price up fan gear in bitcoin, for example, which will bring in more trade. As there is a bigger push than ever for football to grow more inclusive, there may be no better way than to embrace a global currency.

 

While some will say that bitcoin and other crypto is volatile – in that it dips and peaks regularly on the markets – many others will tell you that it’s never been easier to start trading. For example, it might only take a few minutes for everyday investors to use this bitcoin auto-trading software to find the best opportunities. Auto-trading, as you might guess, means that all the hard parts of investing and trading fall to a bot or program. Football clubs, therefore, perhaps need to sit up and start taking notice of these rising trends.

 

Bitcoin already has a place in football

 

Believe it or not, football and crypto are already working together. One club, in particular, is embracing bitcoin to help educate the masses, and to help international fans access their matches and merchandising easier than ever before. This club is Watford FC.

 

Watford is emerging as a leader in bringing cryptocurrency into the game. Their aim is to break down barriers and to show fans the worth of bitcoin. It’s a brave move, especially considering that many people still see crypto investment as more risk than it might be worth. However, Watford bosses have seen that there are rising trends pushing digital money further into the mainstream, and that’s just one reason why they are opening their doors to crypto payments and processing.

 

Cryptocurrency trends show that investors aren’t shying away from the exchanges. While many businesses and banks are still shaky on where we’ll be with bitcoin in a few years, Watford’s decision to emerge as crypto leaders could put them in a very powerful position. It is movements like this that could change the way that we pay for, and appreciate, football for good.

 

Is it all worth it?

 

As stated, crypto is not going away any time soon. While you might not assume that your average armchair pundit will be reaching for the digital wallet, there are more crypto adopters in the crowds than you may believe. For that reason, arguably, more clubs at least need to think about where they stand on bitcoin and altcoins moving into the future.

 

2020 promises to be an interesting year for cryptocurrency, meaning that clubs might do best staking their claims while they can. Facebook, for example, is set to launch digital money in the form of its Libra project. Quite how this will fare, no one is sure. What is certain, however, is that more people will know about crypto, and by that logic, more people will want to start trading. Football is in a great place to start thinking about how to embrace the emerging tech.

 

PA Images