Premier League club Manchester City has announced the launch of a new NFT collection that will allow fans to win a limited number of unique jerseys and match day experiences. The Unseen City Shirts campaign is the latest step in a long-term partnership with cryptocurrency exchange OKX. Users can mint digital collection pieces on the OKX app, offering the chance to win redesigned commemorative football jerseys depending on the rarity of the NFT.
Manchester City Takes a Notable Step
The limited-edition collection jerseys were designed by artist Christian Jeffrey, featuring designs that include the Lancashire rose and the Manchester worker bee. Rafique explains that the rarity of the NFTs is algorithmically determined. Five ultra-rare NFTs will provide access to an on-field playing experience, two tickets to a Manchester City match, and a limited-edition City jersey.
Some of the five rare NFTs include a stadium tour experience, a hospitality ticket, and a jersey with The Roses and the Bees design. OKX users can mint the NFTs for free on the OKX Marketplace. Nuria, stated that the NFT launch is part of the Premier League club’s strategy to attract more technology-savvy, innovative, and open-minded audiences. The NFT collection is another dimension that Man City wants to bring to its fans.
Man City and the Web3 Space
Man City‘s CMO stated that the club will continue to explore the possibilities of Web3, both through its partnership with OKX and other avenues. Tarre mentioned that the club is actively trying new technologies in Web2 and metaverse environments. Man City entered the Roblox world towards the end of 2022, and Tarre described Web3 environments as the most progressive and exciting:
“Technology continues to evolve, and applications continue to improve. You can add layers of sophistication, creation, and co-creation. We are definitely ready to explore more.”
Rafique highlighted that in recent years, OKX has actively managed high-profile sports partnerships with Manchester City and the Formula 1 team McLaren. The exchange is exploring different marketing initiatives to reach the fan bases of these sports brands. The OKX CMO spent the last three years doing foundational work to benefit sports fans and Web3 users, starting with basic NFTs added to physical products, aiming to create more benefit-based ecosystems on the platform:
“I don’t think there’s a lack of intent. I believe it stems from a lack of product and technology infrastructure as the industry and our partnership progress.”
OKX first partnered with Man City in March 2022, before expanding its sponsorship to become the official training kit partner for the 2022/23 season. OKX then signed a multi-year new agreement in June 2023 to become an official partner of City.
