Dutch football club AZ Alkmaar adopts bitcoin usage
A sponsorship deal for the club will be paid in bitcoin
Netherlands football club AZ Alkmaar has partnered with Bitcoin Meester, making them the Dutch club’s first official cryptocurrency partner.
In a statement, the club said both parties are “confident in the future of bitcoin” and as a result of its confidence, the local crypto provider will become the club’s promoter, with the sponsorship deal to be paid in bitcoin.
AZ Alkmaar also said it will keep the proceeds in bitcoin on its balance sheet, making it the first Dutch club to do so. The announcement did not disclose specific financial details of the collaboration.
Mitchell Zandwijken, Bitcoin Meester’s CEO, said that that sports, and football especially, are one of the most important markets because of the huge fan base.
He said the collaboration with the Dutch club is “strategic” as Bitcoin Meester will now have the opportunity to introduce AZ fans and the rest of the country to cryptocurrency and bitcoin in an “appealing way”.
AZ Alkmaar, which came third in the top Eredivisie league last year behind giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, has its contract with Bitcoin Meester until mid-2024.
Crypto in sport
Using cryptocurrency in the sporting world is on the rise, from fan tokens to selling tickets using blockchain platforms and players being paid in cryptocurrency.
French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is one major club that made a partnership deal with the Socios blockchain project in a bid to launch a fan token to promote fan engagement with the club.
In January 2020, the $PSG Fan Token became live on Socios.com, increasing user engagements and allowing fans to participate in various decision-making processes of PSG via the app.
Fans of the club can also earn rewards for interacting with the club and can compete for unique experiences.
Meanwhile, in December last year, professional American football player Russell Okung tweeted that he had been paid half his salary in bitcoin.
