Sorare Partners with Premier League
Fantasy sports operator Sorare has signed a four-year partnership deal with the Premier League to produce digital player cards. The entertainment company will release digital cards of players from all twenty Premier League clubs as part of its online fantasy football game. Following its warning to the public in 2021, the Gambling Commission is still deciding whether the platform’s products constitute gambling.
Gambling watchdogs are still undecided over whether they should be regulating Sorare’s NFT products. ©Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels
Football NFTs
Fantasy sports platform Sorare has struck a major new deal with the English Premier League. The four-year licensing contract is estimated to be worth millions. Thanks to the deal, Sorare will be able to offer fans collectible digital cards featuring players from all twenty top-flight clubs.
Sorare’s online fantasy football game is free to play and offers fans a unique and entertaining way to connect with their favorite clubs and players. Fans can buy, sell, collect and build teams with the digital player cards, living out their team manager dreams. Users are also able to compete with their teams in Sorare’s free fantasy football game for the chance to win rewards.
To coincide with the exciting partnership, Sorare has revealed a number of new gameplay features. These include league-specific competitions, draft-based gameplay and capped-mode competitions. Sorare serves more than three million users worldwide and is one of the most popular online sports games.
Speaking on the Premier League’s behalf, Chief Executive Richard Masters explained why it is looking for new ways to engage with fans. The way that supporters choose to follow their favorite teams is continuously evolving alongside the latest innovations in technology and sport. Masters said:
“Sorare’s digital cards and innovative online game represent a new way for them to feel closer to the Premier League whether they are watching in the stadium or from around the world. We believe that Sorare are the ideal partner for the Premier League and we look forward to working closely together.”
The Premier League is the most-watched football competition in the world, and boasts a long history of entertaining audiences within the UK and abroad. Matches are broadcast to 880 million households across 188 countries. Viewers can tune into the competition which is aired on more than 400 channels.
Engaging with Fans
The Premier League’s agreement with Sorare shows that it still has faith in the future of digital collectibles, despite the current decline of cryptocurrencies. It is believed that Sorare will pay the Premier League tens of millions of pounds a year to secure the rights. The deal also offers the league the option to take an equity stake in Sorare, last valued at $4.3 billion in 2021.
A number of top footballers, including the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi have backed the blockchain fantasy sports game. Other top athletes that serve as investors, ambassadors and advisors for Sorare are Serena Williams, Zinedine Zidane and Rio Ferdinand. Since its launch in 2018, the Paris-based company has undergone incredible growth. It has partnered with more than 300 sports organizations to launch digital cards of the world’s best athletes.
2022 saw Sorare branch out into two new sports, baseball and basketball. In an important milestone for the firm, it partnered with the NBA and the MLB. While Sorare has a range of products to entertain a variety sports fans, the brand remains synonymous with fantasy football. CEO and co-founder of Sorare Nicolas Julia was proud to announce its latest partnership.
Praising the Premier League’s iconic status, Julia explained what makes this deal so special to those working at Sorare. Those responsible for the popular fantasy football platform are avid fans of football themselves, so teaming up with the Premier League has been a dream for its creators since the very beginning. Julia added:
“It’s a major milestone for us as we pursue our goal to build a compelling global sports community for fans and we’re extremely proud to have now partnered with three of the biggest sports leagues in the world: the Premier League, NBA and MLB. We’re incredibly excited and can’t wait to see fans play with Premier League cards in our tournaments.”
Gambling Debate
Sorare, pronounced ‘so-rare’, operates on Ethereum’s underlying blockchain network. Each digital player card is represented as an NFT, or a non-fungible token. This structure ensures provable scarcity and secure ownership of the cards. “Sorare: Football Premier League” is free to play on its platform.
After signing up, users can select “common cards” for free to start creating their dream team. Users can then submit their five-player team to compete in tournaments. Users who want to update their teams have the option to buy a limited number of player cards. These digital cards range in number from 1000 limited cards, to just one unique card.
How well teams rank in the platform’s tournaments is based on the real-life performances of players. Good performances offer fans the chance to win a range of prizes, including match tickets, signed kits and even experiences with football stars. In addition to Sorare’s Premier League competition, users can also take part in global, twice-weekly tournaments.
With over 3 million users across 180 countries, Sorare is one of the most popular fantasy sports platforms in the world. However, the company has faced its share of scrutiny. In October 2021, the Gambling Commission issued a statement warning that Sorare is operating in the UK without a gambling license.
In response, Sorare stated that its products do not constitute gambling and that it should not require a license. The gambling regulator is still in the process of examining whether the fantasy game, which offers cryptocurrency and NFT prizes, should be considered gambling.
In France, Sorare has launched new features to expand free access to its games and improve player safety after similar concerns were raised. It reached an agreement with the country’s gaming commission, the ANJ, to adapt its games by March 31st 2023. If it fails to meet that deadline, the ANJ has warned that it will use its regulatory powers.
