WAGMI United, a new brand dedicated to bringing Web3’s most innovative ideas and passionate communities to the world of sports, has announced a new partnership with adidas. The partnership will see the two brands team up first at WAGMI United’s Crawley Town FC for a new NFT collection — to be released on July 6 — that will enable fans to play a personal role in shaping the future of a professional sports team like never before.
In April 2022, WAGMI United completed its pioneering purchase of Crawley Town Football Club in League Two of the English Football League — becoming the first Web3 group to own a major professional sports team and embarking on a journey to make Crawley Town “the internet’s team.” To that end, WAGMI United plans to build a global digital community of fans around the club and empower them with a real voice in team decision making. The NFTs, designed and produced in partnership with adidas, will play a key role in turning that idea into reality.
In addition to gaining access to club perks and redeeming physical and digital merch items created by adidas, WAGMI United NFT holders will also be able to vote on key issues facing Crawley Town FC. For example, club co-chairmen (and WAGMI United co-founders) Preston Johnson and Eben Smith have already committed to let fans — including NFT holders — decide whether they keep those roles if the team does not earn promotion to League One by the end of their second full season in charge. This first-of-its-kind decentralized governance model will empower fans to play a hands-on role in determining the club’s success — making this a deeper and more interactive sports experience than ever seen before.
While the NFTs will certainly provide a chance for new international fans to connect with the club and play a role in shaping it, WAGMI United is also keen to give long-time, local Crawley Town FC fans a bigger voice in their club than they’ve previously had. This will include the creation of a fan council that will meet regularly with the new owners to offer feedback and ideas and take a hands-on role in helping to implement them.
“There are some traditional sports teams that claim to be ‘community owned.’ But what do fans actually get? A piece of paper they can frame on their wall? We think they deserve more than that. We want Crawley Town FC to be a community club that reaches anyone with an internet connection. Doing that right means giving our fans a real voice in real decisions that actually make a difference on the field and meaningfully contribute to writing the next chapter in the club’s storied 125-year history. So if you’ve ever wanted to have a say in how your favorite team is run, this is your chance. This is your club.”
Preston Johnson, Co-Founder of WAGMI United
Through this new partnership, adidas will become the official kit manufacturer and apparel partner of Crawley Town FC — the first time the brand has entered into such a partnership with a League Two club. The expertise across WAGMI United and adidas will create new possibilities in both football and community building. Given Crawley Town’s ambitions to rise up and challenge the giants of the sport under WAGMI United’s ownership despite being one of the smallest clubs in the entire 96-team English Football League, the partnership is a true embodiment of adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” ethos.
Visit WAGMI United online at www.wagmiunited.com and follow us on Twitter at @WAGMIUnited.
