The relationship between football and cryptocurrency continues to step up as the 2024/25 season progresses, with Sheffield United FC the latest to announce a partner.
Maneki is built on the Solana blockchain and its design is based on the Maneki-neko, a Japanese symbol of good fortune. The coin is much smaller in scale than prominent crypto like Bitcoin and Ether, currently priced at £0.0061 on Coinbase.
Building up a profile in English football may fall in line with the coin’s strategy to clinch wider market visibility and connect with prospective buyers. Sheffield United has a strong following in the Yorkshire region of England, and further afield, and has competed in the Premier League in recent years.
Terms of the deal will see the Maneki logo feature on Sheffield United’s kits, appearing on tonight’s (18 October) match against Leeds United in the EFL Championship, broadcast on Sky Sports.
“Together with Maneki, the club aims to create unique digital and in-stadia experiences,” a Sheffield United statement read.
Cryptocurrency has become a familiar product to many sports fans over recent years as sporting stakeholders seek partnerships with various crypto companies and currencies of varying sizes.
Though the global crypto market took a hit in 2022 and 2023, largely due to confidence falling after some widely publicised scandals.
However, it has rebounded in value significantly this year, buoyed by developments such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval of Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, the Bitcoin halving event, and a general return of market confidence.
Notable partnerships in the space have included Manchester City’s deal with OKX, the UFC’s deal with Crypto.com, and more recently, BlockDag’s deal with Italian giants Inter Milan, which the firm discussed in a joint Payment Expert-Insider Sport interview last month.