Hong Kong’s RCFC launch Asian football’s first NFT, auction on Open Sea
- Auction for first Non Fungible Tokens minted by a football club in Asia goes live on Open Sea and dedicated site
- Total of 121 items up for sale in deal between HKPL side and OliveX – with Lee ‘Legendary Card’ starting at 1 Eth (US$3,400)
Hong Kong Premier League club Resources Capital have launched the auction of their non-fungible tokens, becoming the first Asian football club to enter the NFT space.
The auction of the NFTs went live at 10am today and runs until 10am on Wednesday. It is taking place over both Open Sea and the newly launched HK Football NFT website, a Chinese-language site dedicated to NFTs for Hong Kong football clubs.
Collectors can bid on 121 NFTs for the Hong Kong Premier League side, Resources Capital and OliveX said in a statement.
“The full range of individual ‘Player NFTs’ are available, with the most prestigious being captain and goalkeeper Lam Chun Kit’s ‘Legendary Card’. People can also buy ‘Player Boxes’, containing either one player card or three player cards, which are randomly selected and delivered, so buyers won’t know which player cards they get until they draw their package,” the statement said.
The winning bidder of the Lam “Legendary Card” will also gain a year’s access to Resources Capital’s home games, while whoever collects the whole series of NFTs will get a signed shirt and the chance to train with the team.
The Lam “Legendary Card” opened at 1 Ethereum (US$3,482.65) with all of the NFTs registered via the Ethereum blockchain. Bids increase by an increment of 5 per cent more than the previous bid. The item had already seen a bid of 1.05 Ethereum (US$3655).
October launch for Asian football’s first NFT, say HKPL side RCFC
“There is huge excitement among the Asian football community as we open up the market for NFTs and other digital innovation in the region,” OliveX CEO Keith Rumjahn said.
“Passionate fans drive sport forward and we’re immensely proud that OliveX is the first company to create a range of NFT collectibles for an Asian football club in the Hong Kong Premier League.
“This initiative is being closely watched by other sports clubs around Asia, not just football clubs, and we’re aiming to be one of the leading creators of sporting NFT collectibles across the region.”
Hong Kong’s RCFC to be first Asian football team with NFT
OliveX was founded by Animoca Brands, which has NFT deals with English Premier League champions Manchester City, Australian A-League side Melbourne City and the English Championship club Queens Park Rangers. HKPL side RCFC are the first club in Asia to enter the NFT space.
“We’re excited to partner with OliveX to see how our innovative NFT strategy can help transform the future of the club both online and on the pitch,” RCFC chairman Harry Tang said.
“Our ‘Dare to Challenge’ club motto is at the heart of everything we do and we believe our fans will embrace this new technology as a way of supporting their club and give them a chance to own a unique piece of the club and its history. We think this move into NFTs is going to be hugely popular with Asian football fans.”
Resources Capital vow to develop young players even if it means relegation
The enthusiasm was echoed by captain Lam. “The whole team is excited about being the first Asian club to launch NFTs and no doubt there will be some good-natured competition between the players to see whose cards are most popular!” he said.
The 2021-22 Hong Kong Premier League season will begin on October 23. The club, who were founded in 2016, are about to enter their second season in the top flight.
