THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL!

July 05, 2023

Morning everyone! Welcome back to The Sports Road - the newsletter that keeps you posted with all the weirdest, wackiest, and interesting news in the sports-tech world. Enjoy!

Here's what we got for ya today:

  • Football’s Future

  • The World's Most Unique NFT…

  • The F1’s Biggest Announcement!

  • The New Offside?

Most Valuable Sports Teams:

Let's get into it!

The Future of Football!

The transfer window is open, and we are right in the thick of it…

With huge transfers being announced every day, is it just us, or are there always loads of teams who constantly baffle on about wanting to ‘beat the market’?

Wanting to find gems in the market that others do not know about, the goal for many clubs is clear. Buy cheap, develop well, and either profit from their success or their future market value.

Saying that though, that is MUCH easier said than done…

I mean, with elite clubs having access to some of the most complete scouting platforms out there, it’s harder than ever for smaller clubs to find a diamond in the rough.

Well, using this technology that could be changing…

Johan Cruyff, Arjen Robben, Dennis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, the list goes on. But what do they have in common?

Alright, the answer is pretty easy. They were all developed in the Netherlands. So, with all that you may be wondering why we bring this up…

Striking a five year deal, Tonsser – an app which allows the next generation of ballers to build and showcase their footballing identity – has teamed up with the Eredivisie.

Specifically, by using the app, unsigned players can collect performance data and showcase their ability to professional and semi-professional clubs.

Already being used by millions, the app has helped some of the best Footballers in the world make a name for themselves. Just look at Erling Haaland!

Who knows, we may just see the next Dutch superstar VERY soon…

Introducing an Unprecedented Opportunity to Invest in an MMA Superstar - John Mitchell Fan Tokens!

Are you a sports enthusiast with dreams of backing a rising athlete, witnessing their ascent, and reaping the rewards of their hard-earned success? Imagine being a part of an MMA prodigy's journey without breaking a sweat, taking a punch, or finding yourself in a rear-naked chokehold.

🥊 Get ready to invest in the future of mixed martial arts (MMA) with our first-ever John Mitchell Fan Tokens! With these tokens, you'll share in the triumphs of this future MMA icon, as you participate in John's prize money earnings throughout his illustrious career.

Meet John Mitchell, the Irish MMA sensation boasting a Pro MMA record of 6-1-0 (W-L-D). Standing at 6'0" (183cm) and fighting in the Lightweight division, John is affiliated with MMA Cork and PFL. His next opponent: Geisym Derouiche.

Token holders enjoy a wealth of benefits, including:

💰 A percentage of John's winnings

💬 Exclusive social events with the fighter himself

🎟 Select fight tickets and VIP access

🎁 Giveaways

Don't miss your chance to be part of John Mitchell's meteoric rise.

Sale starts 1st June at 8am here https://futureicons.sportsicon.com/

Sports’ Most Unique NFT…

We’re sure if you ask most athletes what the pinnacle of their career was or will be, many of them would say something related to winning a medal…

And it makes sense. I mean, why would you not want an accolade that’s uniquely yours and celebrates the hours of hard work put into perfecting a craft…

Sound like anything familiar?

Exactly, an NFT. And the links don’t stop there…

In fact, this year's edition of the European Games – a multisport event held in the continent – is planning to use NFT’s as medals!

2023, ladies and gentleman…

Here’s what we know so far:

  • The NFT’s will be provided by Atos – The European Olympic Committee’s (EOC) official technology partner.

  • Being the first of its kind, the transition to electronic medals could actually serve to benefit athletes. Adding value to the accolade, it has also been announced that all 7,000 participating athletes will receive a participation diploma in the form of a digital collectible.

  • Despite using Blockchain technology, the collectibles won’t be uploaded on the Blockchain. As a result, these will not be monetised. With that though, it should be noted that this is definitely a step in that direction…

While some may be up in arms over the fact that such an integral element of competition has been changed, don’t worry. Athletes will still also be receiving physical medals 😅😅

“Giving athletes more freedom to exploit content where they are involved is the way forward because we have to be able to work hand-in-hand with athletes who are more connected, let’s be honest, to a younger generation than TV companies are.”

Executive Director of Eurovision Sport

The F1: Back to Basics?

Look, it’s hard to fault the F1 for the way they’ve developed their product over the last few years.

But that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?

Alright, alright. But really. With most of the company's fans taking interest in the sport over the last four years, there’s no denying the achievements of the team behind it all.

Utilising social media to expertly integrate new fans into the structure of events, recently the sport has actually received a bit of push back…

Why, you ask? Well, some people are beginning to say that – especially during the qualifying rounds – the congested tracks and impeding incidents are making races more boring.

Whether that’s true or not, it looks like the answer may have roots in both the past and future…

With Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, proposing that the sport reintroduce single lap qualifying sessions, technology may be able to create a more interesting watching experience and ease some of the burden from drivers.

This is what he had to say:

“There are [a] few options to improve. One is single-lap qualifying, like in the past… That would be ideal, in my opinion, because with only one car on track, [it would get] full TV coverage for that lap, for everyone’s sponsors and things like that.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari Driver

Potentially combining the structure with ‘ghost car technology’, just look at this:

We Need to Talk About: The Offside Rule

Guys, Football may be changing forever…

If there was a single topic which could define the frustrations of Football fans across the globe over the last couple of years it would be offsides.

Why? VAR. Specifically, the incompetence at which many feel it is currently operating…

I mean just ask Arsenal fans. Having dropped crucial points last season, a (deserved) win at Brentford could have changed the course of history. Who knows 🤷 

So, why are we speaking about them today, you ask? Well, upon request by Footballing royalty and current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger, the offside rule could be altered…

In an effort to make offsides clearer, improve the flow of the game, and create newer interactions between attackers and defenders, the proposed change would see an offside call only being given if the entire body of an attacker strays beyond the last man.

With the rule being set to go on trial in Sweden, Italy, and the Netherlands, we could be seeing changes make their way into the elite of Football VERY soon…

“The attacking player [will be given] a bit more room and so favouring attacking football. If it is positive, we might go ahead. If it is negative, we step back. But we are always here, like we did for VAR, to be open to new ideas and if we can make football even more attacking, even more passionate, then we certainly look into that.”

Gianni Infantio, President of FIFA

Just imagine what robots players like Erling Haaland would be able to do if this rule was to be implemented…

Quick Bites

Meme of the day

Quote of the day

“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

Paul Bryant

Photo of the day

Ready to rep your favourite newsletter? Refer your friends and colleagues to the Sports Road and you could win big

It’s easy to spread the word. Copy and paste your unique link below and share it in an email or on your timeline

Ps - please respond to this email to help us beat the dreaded spam filters!

Chat to ya on Friday

! ☮️