Socios.com partners with Saracens to bring its fan engagement and rewards platform to Rugby Union
Socios.com, a blockchain provider for the sports industry, is today announcing a new partnership with Saracens, alongside two other leading Rugby Union clubs.
This marks its latest expansion into a new sport as it continues building its global ecosystem of fans from teams and organisations from some of the biggest sports in the world.
The new Saracens Fan Token will be accessible via Socios.com’s fan engagement and rewards platform, providing Fan Token holders with an array of rewards, new opportunities for engagement through polls, greater access to their club and its players, and a community where they can build networks with other fans.
The Socios.com platform is designed to allow clubs to reward fans for engaging and supporting their team.
The rewards and experiences set to be provided by the new rugby union Fan Tokens include being able to vote on the name of the new West Stand at StoneX Stadium, and getting the chance to vote on the colourway of the 24/25 away kit.
Other rewards range from meet-and-greets with players to training ground tours across the season, all aimed at bringing Fan Token holders closer to their club. Socios.com and Saracens have already started engaging with fan groups around the new Fan Token, and will continue liaising with fans and Fan Token holders in order to provide clubs with a new way to reward and engage their fans.
There are currently 1.5 million fans from over 160 countries using Socios.com to connect with and be rewarded by their favourite clubs. Other sports teams and organisations with Fan Tokens include Manchester City, AC Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona, Aston Martin and the Davis Cup. Socios.com has over 150 partners in 25 countries across 10 sports: American Football; Basketball; Cricket; Football; Gaming; Ice Hockey; MMA; Motor Sports; Rugby; and Tennis.
As part of the announcement, Season Ticket Members from each rugby team will be given a free Fan Token to start to enjoy the benefits of the token-gated community. Fan Tokens will be made available through a fixed initial Fan Token Offering (FTO) price of £2 at the end of August, at which point clubs will launch a tiered community of benefits and rewards.
Lucy Wray, CEO of Saracens, said: “We pride ourselves on the loyalty of our fans. They are the backbone of the Sarries family. We're excited about working with Socios.com, who work with some of the biggest global sports brands, to offer them something new and different to add to their experience, and more importantly giving them a further way of getting closer to the club.”
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, added: “Launching in a new sport is always a big moment for Socios.com and the growth of platform. The wider rugby community comprises some of the most passionate sports fans around. It has long been an ambition to launch in this area and between Leicester, Harlequins and Saracens, we are partnering with three of the best-known and best-supported rugby union sides. We are looking forward to working with these teams to offer a differentiating way of engaging with their fans.
“More broadly, we’re excited to add three more leading clubs to our platform’s multi-sports ecosystem, as we continue building an offer for fans of clubs and organisations in the world’s biggest sports. We have further updates developments ahead for Socios.com as we look to expand and enhance our tokenised system of fan engagement, access, community and rewards.”
- Saracens will become one of the first Rugby Union clubs, alongside Harlequins and Leicester Tigers, to launch Fan Tokens with Socios.com.
- Partnership marks Socios.com’s expansion into Rugby Union, building on established and growing presence in other major global sports including football, Formula One and tennis.
- Fan Token holders will be able to access a wide range of rewards and experiences, from winning signed and match-worn shirts to joining Captain’s Run training sessions and getting personal player meet-and-greets.
