The Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) through its partnership with the blockchain company NuArca has launched the sport’s first-ever non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace.
The new RLWC NFT platform will be offering fans access to the digital collectibles celebrating the league’s history, most decorated players, countries, and memorable moments.
Commenting on the launch of the marketplace, Jonathan Neill, the tournament’s commercial director, said, “We believe the launch of our NFT partnership is a first for the sport of rugby league.
“RLWC 2021 NFTs will provide fans with an opportunity to show their passion and loyalty for the sport, and alongside collectors, give them the chance to own a piece of rugby league history.”
HTodd Cooper, CEO & Co-Founder at NuArca, said, “Becoming the official NFT partner for RLWC2021 is a great opportunity for NuArca to bring Rugby League fans from all over the world together, and we are looking forward to introducing our NFT fan engagement programme to them.”
He further added, “NuArca Labs’ white label NFT fan engagement platform is a unique and low-friction way for brands to bring their full fan base into NFT participation ensuring maximum impact. We are bringing NFTs out of the world of crypto and into the mainstream on a global basis.”
The 2021 World Cup was originally scheduled to start this autumn but has been postponed until November 2022 due to COVID-19 concerns.
Australia and New Zealand were the two teams who had earlier withdrawn their teams from the World Cup that was earlier scheduled this autumn due to COVID-19 concerns. But with the postponement of the tournament until 2022, all teams are expected to participate in it.
This will also be the first time in the league’s history that the RLWC men’s competition will be run in parity with the women’s and wheelchair tournaments, with all participants being paid equal fees.