Fantozzi, the Fan Tokens and VIP experience of Italy-England: the revolution in football

From the onion omelette and cold beer familiar in a flannel dressing gown in front of the TV to the Vip experience in Hospitality at the Maradona. From Fantozzi to the Fan Token. The last Italy-England, defined by Roberto Mancini as the new “Classic” of the national teams, was the pretext for exploring how the way of experiencing the football event by the fan is changing, finally returning to re-crowd the stadiums after the closures and limitations imposed by the pandemic. Among the new forms of involvement, in an era in which cheering and support for a favorite team or a national team takes on a life of its own also through the web and social networks, Fan Tokens are becoming increasingly popular.

What are Fan Tokens?

Simply, it is a virtual token that is supported by an equally virtual currency. More in detail, it is one of the new ways chosen by football clubs, but not only, to interact with their fans, retain the “fan base” and generate income (decreased in the last two years). The Fan Token can be compared to a sort of “membership”, but with a substantial change compared to the recent past: the “bond” does not have to be renewed at the end of each season and has no time limit. The relationship lasts, theoretically forever, until the supporter/user gets rid of the last Fan Token in his virtual wallet. According to a BBC study compiled in December 2021, fans had spent more than $350 million on this type of virtual currency. And according to Be[In]Crypto Research, Fan Tokens generated approximately $3.5 billion in sales in March 2022. The trend, in the last twelve months, is reported to be on the rise. So much so that according to an analysis of the Fan Relationship Index 2023, the largest clubs could generate up to $850 million in additional digital revenue if they applied Moneyball-style data analysis techniques. The Socios.com platform is the creator of this digital asset and works with 170 clubs worldwide. The roster of partners in Italy, limited to football, includes Juventus, Milan, Rome, Inter, Naples, Bologna, Udinese and the FIGC (read National). These digital crypto-assets, based on blockchain, allow their owners to participate in some decisions of their favorite team, such as the designs of the official profiles on social networks, messages on the official scarf, the name of the official mascot, messages for the scoreboards of the stadium, the messages of encouragement for the players in the tunnel of the dressing rooms, the design of the bus or the color of the pennant to be exchanged with the captain of the opposing formation.

What do they offer more than traditional loyalty methods?

Exclusivity lies in offering things that are not normally for sale. It’s not even a matter of price, but really of possibilities. Socios.com, through the Fan Tokens mechanism, offers experiences or exclusives that are not available in any type of market. Such as the purchase, by redeeming among the credits in the wallet, pieces of history (memorabilia) of one’s club. Or guarantee the right to exclusive merchandising (not even in the catalog), VIP experiences with players, tickets for hospitality matches that are not normally available (as they may be reserved within packages dedicated to sponsors) or even to attend particular training sessions. Among these experiences, for example, the “Fly with the team” stands out, already tested by some fans of Inter and the national team during their away games with Bayern Munich and Austria. Some AC Milan supporters, on the other hand, traveled together with the Milan executive delegation on the occasion of the recent championship match with Roma at the Olimpico. Or the so-called “meet and greet”, informal meetings with players, coaches and managers. The novelty of the season finale, already tested in the last Super Cup, is Socios.com Collectbiles: the possibility for Fan Token Holders to redeem the goal balls from more than 20 Serie A and Coppa Italia matches via the app. The specificity of each ball lies in the provision of an NFC chip which allows the owner to relive the moment the ball enters the goal.

How do they work?

At the base there are two models, communicating with each other, which allow you to redeem “rewards” and accumulate $ SSU points: the purchase and wallet of Fan Tokens plus the concept of “gamification” on the app. That is, in the second case, the more you participate in the life of the app, through surveys and interactions, the more you earn $ SSU, in fact the application’s loyalty points.

How are they bought?

Each football club, always going through an app or a dedicated web page, decides how many virtual tokens to put on the market and at what unit price. Whoever buys them, on the established date, becomes part of the community of owners. Once the quota put on the market is finished, the value of the Tokens varies according to the market trend. The market price depends on their refinement: the more exclusive a token becomes, perhaps because the reference club offers more attractive advantages or rewards, the more difficult it will be to find them or the higher their market value (in cryptocurrency) will be.

The Italy-England experience

Two rows of the very central Posillipo Tribune, with access to the Champions Hospitality area, were occupied by the Fan Token Holders of the National team during the last Italy-England match: a minority of lucky ones selected through a contest, most with the redemption of virtual credits accumulated (which are not deleted after use). The one at Maradona, for the first qualifying match for the 2024 European Championships, was a real VIP experience: a match seen in a sector reserved for sponsors and partners of the national team (not open to free sale) with all the related benefits (access hospitality area, buffet, entertainment and dedicated gadgets). “This mechanism creates addiction, but it almost always allows us to come to the stadium or to feel part of our favorite teams,” confessed father and son, sitting next to each other in the stands, looking at their virtual wallet full of Fans on the app Napoli and national team token. Years ago, not being able to watch Italy-England live on television, poor Fantozzi broke a glass to ask “Who has been a stake?”. Now, in the era of this new frontier, he would ask “Who took the ball for Retegui’s first blue goal?”. New alternative forms of life and fan participation grow.