The World's First Global Soccer League Attracts R37.5 Million in Funding
Key Highlights :
The world of sports has been revolutionized with the launch of Australia's One Future Football (1FF) - a global soccer league of imaginary teams and players. The digital league has attracted over 3 million Australian dollars (R37.5 million) from investors, including sports stars such as Nick Kyrgios, Steve Smith, and Naomi Osaka. This new venture has been described as a game of FIFA, but with a computer in charge of both teams and the results determined by thousands of data points channeled through an artificial intelligence (AI) engine.
The league is made up of twelve digital teams, each with over 250 digitally generated players, complete with backstories, unique skills, and personalities. This is the world's first global football league, with teams from different parts of the world, including a team from Nigeria—Naija United FC. Fans can watch the computer-simulated digital soccer games for free on YouTube and TikTok.
1FF's main revenue drivers are in-game sponsorships, advertisements, and the sale of "player cards". These cards enable fans to partially own the players in the teams and earn points based on their performance. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to bet on the digital matches.
The founders of 1FF, Peter Davis and his team, have created a unique way for fans to engage with the sport. Davis said, "What if there was a club from Tokyo and you could lean in on their story and their culture, and a club from South London and a club from Brazil? It was a very slippery slope from there. What about the players? What if we had a player who had a backstory, who had their own social media page, their own brand? We'd need a face."
This innovative global soccer league is sure to revolutionize the way people engage with the sport. With the backing of some of the world's biggest sports stars, it's sure to be a success. Fans can look forward to watching the computer-simulated matches and engaging with the players, and the league is sure to be an exciting and innovative addition to the sports world.
