India’s top-tier football league, Hero Indian Super League (ISL) has announced a partnership with the London-based Terra Virtua Limited to launch its exclusive non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as digital collectibles ahead of the 2021-22 season.
This embarks as the first Indian sports league to have its exclusive non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as digital collectibles. It is also Terra Virtua’s first entry into the dynamic sports ecosystem.
The digital collectibles of the ISL will be launching ahead of the upcoming season and will have the league’s many memorable moments, player cards, in-match highlights made available as unique NFT’s for the fans.
The fans would then be able to purchase and trade these NFT’s through Terra Virtua’s unique marketplace.
Commenting on the partnership, Hoshedar Gundevia, Head of Digital at ISL, said, “Digital collectibles have been one of the most talked about fan engagement avenues in 2021, and Hero ISL being a young league would like to keep pace with the demands of India’s millennial and Gen Z audience segments.
“We are extremely excited to be working with Terra Virtua to remain at the forefront of the next wave of innovation around fan engagement. Digital collectibles offer innovative opportunities for the league and its clubs to connect with the growing Indian football market and attract newer audiences.”
Gary Bracey, Virtua CEO and Co-Founder, said, “This is a big day for the future of Indian and international sport. The partnership signals a fundamental shift in the way sports fans will be able to engage with their favourite sports teams going forward, allowing them to collect and trade Interactive player merchandise and dynamic digital memorabilia with fellow fans.
“The partnership also demonstrates strong, continued growth in the NFT market, reinforcing that digital collectibles are the future of fan merchandise and digital art.”
This partnership will allow India’s premier football league and its clubs to connect with the millennials and help boost their fan engagement.