The Australian Football League (AFL) and Animoca Brands are excited to announce a 5-year partnership that will bring the power of NFTs and the open metaverse to the AFL and AFL Women's (AFLW).
The agreement will see the first major Australian sporting league project in the Web3 space come to life, building on the strong heritage and proud audience of the AFL.
The AFL joins other world sporting codes who have launched NFT programs, including NBA TopShots, ICC Fancraze, Moto GP Ignite and UFC Strikeforce.
By partnering with Animoca Brands, AFL taps into an extensive Web3 ecosystem, which will, over time, provide fans with immersive metaverse experiences in areas such as virtual reality, digital art and gaming.
The AFL, through its AFL Mint brand will release its first official licensed NFT 'drop' in the coming weeks.
AFL Mint is the home of the NFTs for AFL fans to own their favourite moments from both the past and present decades.
Register now at AFLMint.com.au for exclusive first notification of the inaugural AFL Mint product drop.
AFL Mint products will expand to deliver rewards and real-world experiences via exclusive events and even reward fans for game days, including ticket upgrades, hospitality, experiential zones and exclusive merchandise.
AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said the partnership was an exciting new chapter for Australian Football, AFL players and more importantly, the fans.
"Our aim is to continue to bring fans new ways of engaging in Australian football and by partnering with Animoca Brands, we will be playing in a digital space that is only getting bigger," Mr McLachlan said.
"We are officially entering the Web3 space and excited to immortalise moments in time across our AFL and AFLW competitions."
AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said partnering with Animoca Brands ensures fans are getting the best and most innovative offering possible.
"The AFL is excited to partner with Animoca Brands to take our game into the metaverse." Ms Rogers said.
"Animoca Brands is at the forefront of the Web3 space and has partnered with a significant number of sporting organizations and international brands,
"We know we have the most passionate fans in the world, and we want to ensure our audience can continue to experience the game in different ways. We see the Animoca Brands partnership as key initiative in our continued evolution of fan engagement."
"Through our AFL Mint brand, we will launch exciting new moments across our current Men's and Women's games, plus past greats and other product releases that will bring a unique fan experience we haven't seen before,"
"AFL Mint will be the place to collect, trade, win and earn."
Yat Siu, the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands said: "I'm extremely pleased to partner with the AFL - Australia's premier sport - to deliver the AFL Mint. Australian rules football is a unique game and the AFL Mint is an opportunity to showcase it to the wider world while introducing existing fans to digital collectibles. This is a special project for us given our roots as an Australian company and we are honoured to bring the AFL and AFLW to the open metaverse."
About AFL Mint
AFL Mint is the only official marketplace to collect licensed AFL NFT's. We offer exclusive AFL items showcasing the iconic moments, spectacular highlights, and champion players, that are unique to the web3 and metaverse space.
Through AFL Mint we proudly celebrate our strong heritage while exploring the endless possibilities to connect with our fans in new ways. We commit to building meaningful fan relationships and will be guided by our AFL Mint community on how we develop future product drops, and how to better engage and enhance their experience. Minting moments is only the beginning. We strive to innovate, to ensure our fans can share in the moments that matter and reap the rewards of investing in our great game.
