Everton, in partnership with Chiliz, the leading global blockchain providers for the sport and entertainment industry, has announced that the highly-anticipated $EFC Fan Token Offering (FTO) will take place on the Socios.com app from Midday (BST) on Wednesday 15 September.
The FTO gives supporters the opportunity to collect the first-ever digital $EFC Fan Tokens. A total of 500,000 tokens will go on sale, priced at the special introductory set price of £2 each.
Due to the anticipated demand, Everton’s first ever FTO will take place in two waves. $EFC tokens will be available for purchase on 15 September between midday and 2pm (BST)and, should any tokens remain, from 4:30pm (BST) until either they sell-out, or 5pm on Wednesday 22 September.
While the new partnership reflects the Club’s drive to create a more engaging fan experience for Everton’s growing global following, the Club and Socios.com have partnered to offer a free $EFC Token to all Everton Season Ticket, Hospitality and Official Members.
Members will receive a coupon by email, which can be redeemed for free by downloading the Socios.com app.
$EFC Fan Tokens are digital collectable assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain, that will provide access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive fan experiences and promotions.
Details on the first polls, rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences for $EFC Fan Token holders will be revealed in the coming weeks – with some due to be shaped by Evertonians. The initiative will give Blues from around the world the opportunity to get closer to the Club and, thanks to Socios, directly get involved and influence some of the Club’s fan-related activities.
This could range from choosing which player undertakes social media takeovers and challenges to even selecting in-stadium music and mural designs around the city of Liverpool as well as plus many other activities shaped by Evertonians.
Token holders also have the opportunity to enter and take part in exclusive money-can’t-buy fan experiences, including the chance to connect digitally with Everton’s first team players, meet legends of the Club and experience matchday behind-the-scenes at Goodison Park and other stadiums around the country.
By purchasing a token and joining Socios.com, $EFC Fan Token holders can link up with a thriving community of engaged sports fans from around world. Evertonians will be able to access exclusive club-related content, put their footballing knowledge and skill to the test by going up against the app’s global network of fans in competitions, quizzes and games to earn rewards, tokens and experiences.
Although you only need one $EFC Fan Token to vote in polls and participate in the experiences and competitions on offer, supporters can purchase more collectable tokens should they desire. The first wave of the FTO includes a maximum purchase cap of 75 tokens per person. Should there be a second wave, that will include a maximum purchase cap of 175 tokens per person.
Alan McTavish, Everton Commercial Director said: “We are excited by this new partnership that will allow us to interact further with our growing worldwide fanbase. Socios has been leading the way in blockchain within the sports and entertainment industry for a while now. Their business model is based on having relationships with elite clubs and associations that have global recognition and I know how keen they were to include Everton in their growing portfolio.
“There has been a lot of interest in our $EFC Fan Tokens that will give Evertonians, regardless of where in the world they are, the opportunity to get closer to their club and be part of, or in some cases join, our global family. We look forward to working with Socios and Evertonians in developing some of the polls and unique experiences for our supporters.”
More than 45 major sporting clubs, associations and brands have partnered with Socios.com to launch Fan Tokens, including FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Manchester City, Arsenal and the Argentina and Portugal national football associations, as well as a number of teams and associations from F1, NBA, UFC, Cricket and esports.
Socios.com also has major expansion plans for 2021 and is targeting many more Fan Token launches throughout the world. The company has multiple office locations and has already opened new regional headquarters in Madrid, Istanbul, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, with a new office in North America imminent.
Alexandre Dreyfus, Founder and CEO of Socios.com, added: “We are very excited to be launching the official Fan Token of Everton FC, a club with a unique history, deeply rooted in the local community but with an extensive and loyal global fan base. $EFC will not only allow us to create new opportunities for Evertonians around the world to engage and influence their beloved club like never before but will also help us strengthen our platform and spread the word of the numerous ways Fan Tokens and the Socios.com app can benefit football fans and clubs”.
“$EFC will be the gateway for millions of Evertonians around the globe to access a new world of opportunities to engage and influence their beloved club. Everton has a huge and very passionate fan base, so I encourage all their fans to download the Socios.com app and have everything ready in time so they don’t miss out on this great opportunity”.
To purchase or redeem your $EFC Fan Token download the Socios.com app from the iTunes or Google play [link] and follow the instructions on Wednesday 15 September to take part in the Everton FTO.
FAQs
Learn more about our partnership with Socios.com and how to become the owner of a collectable $EFC Fan Token.
Why have we partnered with Chiliz/Socios?
Our partnership with Chiliz/Socios offers an exciting commercial opportunity for Everton, while also giving supporters the chance to get closer to the Club. Chiliz/Socios gives Everton the opportunity to move into a new digital engagement space with a direct-to-consumer app, that uses blockchain technology, to provide new ways for Everton to interact with different types of fans through polls and money-can’t buy experiences. This includes supporters from around the world who may not have the opportunity of engaging with the football club regularly.
I don’t understand some of the terms, specifically cryptocurrency and blockchain?
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Unlike physical currencies, cryptocurrency only exists in digital space and can only be ‘spent’ on certain platforms. In order to purchase $EFC Fan Tokens on the socios.com app you must use a cryptocurrency called $CHZ. It is really easy to purchase and can be done through a credit or debit card on the app.
Blockchain is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system. The Socios.com app uses Blockchain as a secure, online, anonymised database of all Fan Token purchases. For the first time the technology will allow Socios to verify ownership of digital assets in an open, trusted and purely transparent way. The Blockchain also helps maintain the integrity of the polls.
What is a Fan Token?
Fan Tokens are collectable digital passes that never expire. As well as being yours to keep forever the $EFC Fan Token also gives you enhanced access to Everton. Think of it as a piece of digital memorabilia that allows you to vote in polls, get access to VIP experiences or take part in the many in-app activities, competitions, quizzes and games.
They are highly collectable, with many people taking the opportunity to collect tokens from different Clubs and associations across a range of sports.
This is only open to people aged 18 or over. Fan Tokens are digital assets that have been officially recognised as utility tokens by world leading regulatory authorities.
Do I have to pay for an $EFC Fan Token?
Everton Season Ticket, Hospitality and Official Member over the age of 18 will have the opportunity redeem a free $EFC Fan Token. Every member will receive an email from the Club with instructions on how to do this.
Non-members of Everton will have the opportunity to purchase $EFC Fan Tokens at midday (BST) on Wednesday 15 September in the highly-anticipated Fan Token Offering (FTO). Tokens will be available at the special introductory set price of £2 each.
All free tokens redeemed by Everton Season Ticket, Hospitality and Official Members are non-tradable and therefore cannot be sold in the platform.
How do I get my free $EFC Fan Token?
The $EFC Fan Token will be available on the Socios.com app from midday (BST) on Wednesday 15 September.
If you are a Season Ticket, Hospitality or Official Member, follow the instructions on the email you will receive ahead of the FTO to redeem your token. The window to redeem the free token will be open for 10 days from the FTO.
Once you have downloaded the Socios.com app from itunes or Google Play, non-members will need to buy $CHZ first – this is a cryptocurrency, think of it as the currency used on the Socios platform to purchase your token. You then simply exchange your $CHZ for your collectable $EFC Fan Token.
You can purchase $CHZ by simply using your credit or debit card.
Please remember that once the first FTO has sold out the future value of $EFC Fan Tokens is dependent on supply and demand and can therefore go up as well as down. Purchasers are advised to only spend what they can afford.
Can I buy more than one token and is there a limit on how many I can buy?
Supporters are able to purchase more than one token should they wish. Within the first FTO wave taking place between 12pm and 2pm on Wednesday 15 September there is a purchase cap set to 75 $EFC tokens per person. Should any tokens remain, they will be available for purchase from 4:30pm (BST) until either they sell-out or 5pm Wednesday 22 September, with a maximum purchase cap of 175 tokens per person.
By capping the number of fan tokens that each user can buy during our FTO we are able to allow as many fans as possible access to the in-demand $EFC Fan Tokens at a low, fixed price.
Remember that you only need one Fan Token to vote in polls and participate in the experiences and competitions on offer, however more Fan Tokens you have the more you can influence the polls. $EFC Fan Tokens purchasers are advised to only spend what they can afford.
The caps on token purchases will be reviewed for future FTOs.
How can I vote in the polls and take part in the fan experiences?
The polls and various fan experiences will be available through the Socios.com app.
Details on the first polls, rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences for $EFC Fan Token holders will be revealed in the coming weeks – with some shaped by Evertonians.
You only need one $EFC Fan Token to take part in the polls and experiences. However, the more tokens you have the more you can influence the polls. We’ll cap each poll at a certain number of Fan Tokens to keep things fair.
Is this a way of monetising fan engagement?
No. The Club’s Fan Engagement team will continue to deliver their highly regarded campaigns and activities across the season with the wider fanbase, separate from this partnership.
However, the fan experiences and opportunities created by this partnership come from the rights Chiliz/Socios have acquired as a partner of Everton. They have chosen to tailor their access to player appearances, match tickets and other elements of their partnership inventory to create new fan experiences, that would otherwise have not been possible.
Everton, Chiliz/Socios will be working with fans, fan groups and $EFC Fan Token holders to help shape the money-can’t-buy fan experiences on offer.
Can I sell my Fan Tokens?
$EFC Fan Tokens are digital collectable assets and are yours to keep for life, much like receiving a piece of Everton memorabilia. The only difference is that your $EFC Fan Token brings you closer to Everton through a range of polls, money-can’t-buy experiences, competitions and quizzes.
While supporters are encouraged to keep and cherish their collectable $EFC Fan Token(s), as well as being reminded that the intention of purchasing the digital tokens as fans is not based around trading, should you wish to sell your token you can list it for sale and trade it through the Socios.com app. This would involve converting the token back to $CHZ and then back into your chosen currency. Please note, there may be minimum limit on withdrawals and remember that the price of your $EFC Fan Token is dependent on supply or demand. It can therefore go up, as well as down. Supporters are advised to only spend what they can afford and also seek independent financial advice if required.
How many $EFC Fan Tokens are there and will there be another FTO?
During the FTO, 500,000 Fan Tokens will be made available with the view to eventually being 10 million on the market. Although there won’t be another FTO event, there will be waves of token releases, depending on the demand from supporters for more tokens. Information on when those tokens will be made available will be provide prior to release.
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