In its bid to stay relevant with the moving trends of society, Wimbledon has jumped onboard the non-fungible token (NFT) bandwagon.
An event draped in rich history and a pillar of the worldwide sporting calendar, Wimbledon has become one of the biggest sporting events in the world since the tennis Grand Slam tournament was founded in 1877.
With the 135th edition of the tournament set to begin in late June, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club have looked for a new way to give fans more ways to enjoy moments, linking up with former All Black Dan Carter's company Glorious Digital to produce a line of "digital masterpieces that celebrate the rich history and legacy of Wimbledon".
"In our ongoing pursuit of innovation to preserve our traditions and ensure that Wimbledon remains relevant for the future, the emerging opportunities around Web 3.0 present a fascinating chance to celebrate Wimbledon by immortalising our history and presenting it to future generations," All England Club communications and marketing director Alexandra Willis said.
The partnership comes off the back of Wimbledon's dabble into the NFT world in 2021, when they worked with two-time tournament winner Andy Murray and another company of a line that celebrated Murray's success in 2013.
One of the tokens in the series, depicting his match-winning point, fetched US$177k at auction, while 600 limited-edition NFTs representing other moments related to the 2013 victory were sold at prices between US$49 and US$4999.
"The stories of those who have played Wimbledon have inspired, nurtured and elevated not only tennis players, but also a global fanbase of millions," Carter said.
"I was so excited to hear Glorious has been asked to work on a digital masterpiece project for this legendary sporting property. It's a big opportunity for our New Zealand-based company and I'm super excited about the Glorious future with Wimbledon."
An NFT is a crypto asset that records ownership of a digital item, such as an image, video or text, on blockchain. While anyone can view or download it, only the buyer can claim ownership.
The NFT wave has become a popular means of collection around the world, with many linked to sporting leagues, such as NBA Top Shot and UFC Strike. While sporting NFTs are usually short videos of specific events in a match, many others are still images which make part of wider collections.
According to a NonFungible.com report, which was created with support from foresight company L'Atelier BNP Paribas, the total value of all NFT transactions worldwide jumped 21,350 per cent to more than US$17 billion in 2021, from US$82.5 million in 2020.
