The Inside Story Of The Football Fan Token Community

Milan Skriniar of FC Internazionale poses for a portrait with the new home jersey with the main ... [+] sponsor socios.com, creators of the football Fan Token

Fan Tokens and Socios.com are changing the way supporters interact with their sports teams. This platform leverages blockchain technology to allow teams to interact with their followers in new and innovative ways. The fan token revolution is growing fast and already has a plethora of big-name users like Juventus, Paris St. Germain, FC Barcelona and many more.

The fan token is a staple of the Socios.com model. Socios.com enables clubs to issue digital fan tokens, almost like a small share in a specific part of the club that is built for fan engagement and interaction. Fans can redeem reward points for free whilst interacting with their club or engage on the app by voting in polls or predicting match results. Fan tokens therefore measure fan loyalty and interaction and then enable fans to redeem unique benefits and experiences.

Fans who hold tokens can also use their voice in certain club matters. Whether it's choosing the next club badge, shirt design or the name of next year’s mascot, the specific aspects of that are completely dependent on what the club offers to their fans. Fan tokens give club followers the ability to have their say on matters usually closed to the public. Galatasaray even let fans choose a squad number for a new signing whilst Young Boys of Switzerland let fans vote on new kit designs.

Fan token holders can redeem rewards by using points they get for engaging on the platform, like an airline loyalty scheme might work. In doing so they can earn incredible experiences like VIP tickets to games or club merchandise. The system uses blockchain technology to ensure security and transparency in voting experiences or fan transactions. These methods have helped revolutionize fan engagement and many club fans and football followers in general are now using the platform on a weekly basis.

I was lucky enough to experience one of these fan moments myself, with Socios.com at their incredible ‘take the pitch’ event in Valencia C.F’s Mestalla stadium. I spoke with various Valencia CF Fan Token holders at the event. Many of which are hardcore Valencia fans that like to have a say in what happens in their club. Others came from abroad however, football lovers that have tokens with various clubs in order to try and live out as many dream experiences as possible.

Fan Tokens offer fans the ability to live the dream with experiences like their 'take the pitch' ... [+] event, where fans can follow their heroes onto their favourite pitches.

Fabian is one of Socios.com most active members and it’s fair to say that he is a bit of a football experience junkie. Fabian told me “I don’t have one team I go to watch every week but I have teams that I like. I like FC Barcelona because I studied there for a year so I have fan tokens for them and lots of other teams I like on the socios.com app”

“I travel a lot and so I try to combine it with redeeming tickets from Socios.com Sometimes it’s really difficult to get tickets for football matches, since sales are only for club members or are restricted. With Socios.com I only have to hold the fan token and I don’t need a membership”

Fabian is one of many that take advantage to not just support their own club through Fan Tokens but to visit many, from Milan to Rio de Janeiro. Through Socios.com he has watched football in South America and also participated in training sessions at the FC Barcelona training centre; Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

Fabian continues “I really enjoy voting in the design polls open to fans on Socios.com, like how the team bus should look like or which armband the captain should wear. You feel responsible when you see it on TV afterwards. The more fans that join the FC Barcelona Fan Token community then the more important decisions will be made there. “

According to socios.com “It all starts with one Fan Token.” The truth is that for this international brand things have come a long way since the first fan token and now they are taking bigger strides in the world of football.

Recently Atletico de Madrid decided to take their partnership with socios.com up a notch by incorporating fan tokens into their official club app. This means that instead of interacting with their favourite club on socios.com fans can do so on the clubs own site. This will obviously boost the amount of club users that will interact with fan tokens and bring the supporters closer to the club, giving them more influence. It’s the first time a club has integrated the platform with its own.

James Murphy, the new chief commercial officer at Socios.com said that a “smoother” experience will “allow us to present the Atlético fan token to a much wider audience, which we expect to significantly increase the size of the fan token community“. He also added that a “ larger community will generate more and better opportunities for all its members,” which seems like a win for clubs and fans alike.

Launched in November 2019 socios.com famous fan tokens have completely changed clubs relationships with their fans. Soon the fan token will be five years old and it looks like the company will be celebrating a lot more integration between fan tokens and top clubs own websites and apps in the very near future.

Atletico Madrid fans celebrate after the team's victory during the LaLiga EA Sports match between ... [+] Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Civitas Metropolitano Stadium