The Italian Football Federation (FIGC), in partnership with Chiliz, the leading blockchain provider for the sports and entertainment industry, have officially announced that the reigning European Champions will launch an $ITA Fan Token on the fan engagement and rewards app Socios.com.

Over 1.3M users from 167 countries are using Socios.com to engage with and be rewarded by the teams they love through Fan Tokens. Fan Tokens are digital assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain, that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, games and competitions.

In addition, fans are able to put their skills to the test against other fans from around the world in games, competitions and quizzes, competing in global leaderboards and earning real-life and digital club-related rewards, benefits and experiences along the way. Fans can also look forward to accessing exclusive content and experiencing Socios.com’s geo-location, augmented reality feature ‘Token Hunt’.  Socios.com also recently added to its offering for Fan Token holders, launching the first ever live ‘in game’ NFTs in collaboration with AC Milan, Valencia and S.C. Corinthians.

The resources generated by the partnership will be used by the FIGC to develop the entire movement, focusing in particular on basic sports facilities, with the aim of improving training facilities throughout the country. Through the partnership, which involves all the Italian national teams, the FIGC aim to support the overall growth of the Italian football system. Furthermore, Socios.com will be the title sponsor of the Women's Italian Cup for the next 2 years, confirming the growing interest in women's competitions organised by the Football Federation.

Italy is the third national football federation to join the Socios.com roster, following in the footsteps of AFA (Argentina) and FPF (Portugal). Socios.com has partnered with over 100 major sporting organisations, including the aforementioned teams, other Serie A clubs including Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli, AS Roma and many more big names such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal. As well as soccer, Socios.com’s expansive network also includes the UFC, F1 teams, 24 NBA franchises and leading lights from NHL, esports and cricket. 

Revenues from the sale of $ITA Fan Tokens will be reinvested into the Italian Football Federation, especially at youth level, with funds to be allocated to improve training facilities, coaching and player resources in order to promote the long term development and continued success of the national team. 

Details on when the $ITA Fan Token will launch, as well as the price and supply will be revealed shortly.

Socios.com is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that uses blockchain technology to provide the world’s leading sporting organisations with the tools to engage with and monetize their global fanbases. The company has major expansion plans and is targeting many more Fan Token launches throughout the world.  Socios.com recently opened new regional headquarters in Madrid, Istanbul, São Paulo and Buenos Aires, and will soon open new offices in Italy and North America.

President of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina said: "This partnership will allow us to expand our relationship with our fans, providing new engagement opportunities and the chance for fans to be rewarded.

“It’s also another important step in continuing the development project of Italian football, because it will allow us to invest into new resources at a grassroots level.  The partnership will allow us to support the development of youth football and the entire movement, from the base to the top of the pyramid.”

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, said: “Italy is a footballing powerhouse, synonymous with passion, determination and sporting glory. 

“We’re proud and excited to welcome the reigning European champions to our roster of partners and look forward to giving Azzurri across the world the chance to engage with and be rewarded by their team like never before.”