AS Roma has inked a €36 million, three-year product partnership with Zytara Labs, with the Serie A club becoming the ‘first professional football organisation to broadly embrace blockchain technology to this degree’.
As part of the deal, the DigitalBits blockchain network will be completely integrated with the club, providing a seamless, advanced experience for new users and fans alike.
Most notably, as a main global partner of the club, the DigitalBits brand will be displayed front and centre on the home, away, third and goalkeeper jerseys of the men’s and women’s first-teams, Primavera and youth teams during all league, European, cup and domestic and international friendly fixtures.
Together, the Italian top-flight team and DigitalBits will create digital player cards and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) capturing current and historical moments in AS Roma’s near 100-year history.
In addition, the two entities will integrate and accept ASR blockchain based digital assets and XDB as new purchasing methods, creating official ASR blockchain based digital assets.
Al Burgio, Founder of Zytara and the DigitalBits blockchain, commented: “This historic relationship with AS Roma, one of the most legendary football teams in the world, is transformative, not just for Zytara and DigitalBits, but for the blockchain industry as a whole.
“AS Roma will be expanding the collective imagination by demonstrating how blockchain technology can be leveraged to elevate the connection between sports teams and their community of fans and other supporters.”
To commemorate the launch of this partnership, AS Roma will be selling the first 11 jerseys of the 2021/22 season worn by the Giallorossi players during the friendly between Roma and Montecatini.
In addition, 25 commemorative gold rings with the AS Roma crest from a collection of 50 will be available for purchase. The Serie A club, including current players, will receive the other 25 rings from this collection.
AS Roma confirmed all proceeds from sales will be donated to Roma Cares, a public charity supporting local communities and aiming to foster social solidarity through a range of initiatives.”We could not be more excited to have AS Roma officially join the DigitalBits ecosystem,” noted Guido Fienga, CEO of AS Roma.
“DigitalBits is a blockchain known for its speed, efficiency, and sustainability: traits that mirror the values of our club and will allow us to deepen the engagement with our fans worldwide in numerous ways.”