Oxford City Becomes the First National League Club to Accept Matchday Crypto Payments
Byline: Thomas Kinneard
As the crypto adoption increases globally, many industries have started partnering with the crypto industry to keep up with the times, and in some cases to make life easier. One of the most lucrative sporting industries – the football industry – has seen many major teams partnering with crypto firms for sponsorships.
We’ve seen the likes of many major English football teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and many more sign deals with crypto firms regarding kit sponsorships, but the latest development is a very different kind of partnership between the football and crypto industries. The most recent of these partnerships is the first of its kind between a historic football club and a crypto exchange firm. Sport Score keeps you connected to football action at all times.
One of the oldest football clubs in England, Oxford City, has become the first National League club to accept matchday payments in the form of Bitcoin, after entering a multi-year partnership with major crypto exchange, CoinCorner. CoinCorner provides a platform for those in the UK and Europe to exchange crypto securely. This partnership will allow supporters to purchase tickets as well as food and beverages inside the RAW Charging Stadium using Bitcoin and Lightning, as opposed to traditional cash and card methods.
This move towards crypto payments will mean that fans can make payments using CoinCorner’s Bolt Card - the world’s first contactless Bitcoin Lightning card, making this partnership the first of its kind for the football industry. To celebrate this special partnership, CoinCorner has produced a limited edition run of Oxford City FC branded Bolt Cards which are available to buy in the club shop. The CEO of CoinCorner, Danny Scott highlighted the potential of this partnership, mentioning that “CoinCorner and Oxford City FC are both innovative and forward-thinking businesses, so this partnership is perfect”.
In addition to the Bitcoin payments, the exchange has also been confirmed as Oxford City’s back-of-shirt sponsor following the release of the first-team men’s home kit. The Bitcoin logo will feature on both the home and away kits. The CEO added that “It’s exciting to see the club become the first adopters of bitcoin payments in the National League. We believe this move will set a trend across Non-League and Football League divisions as digital currency establishes itself as the new normal for sports fans and event-goers across the UK”. Director of Football at Oxford City, Justin Merritt added to this, saying that “more than 3.3 million people living in the UK now own Bitcoin – an increase of approximately one million people in the last year alone”.
CEO of The Bitindex AI seems to be very excited about this partnership and what it means for the crypto industry as a whole, in a statement he explained that “It’s a real eye-opener understanding how significant and accepted Bitcoin is in the modern, digital age” and Oxford City constantly strives to develop and improve its overall customer experience which is why the partnership with CoinCorner is so important to the club. He elaborated, saying that “embracing the latest technologies and innovations to ensure Oxford City FC can continue to operate as a self-sustaining club is a key part of our long-term objectives”. Lastly, Merritt expressed that of course, it will not be mandatory for people to engage with the club’s new technology, but Oxford City believes that in time, paying with Bitcoin will become “the new normal in English football”.
With the UK striving to become an international crypto hub, more and more of these partnerships will start taking over the football industry, and possibly the sports industry as a whole. These kinds of collaborations will push crypto adoption in the country and bring it closer to its goal of becoming an international hub for the crypto industry.
