Image: ShutterstockBitcoin adoption has been on the rise, and the Oxford City Football Club is the newest organisation looking to get involved. The National League football club is looking to be the first of its kind to start accepting matchday payments in BTC with the season kickoff on 6 August. While cash and card payments will still be available, customers would also be able to use BTC to purchase tickets, food, and drink at Oxford City’s RAW Charging Stadium with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network. This move comes as a result of a multi-year partnership between the football club and an Isle of Man-based Bitcoin company, CoinCorner. The crypto company will have its logo on the back of the shirt sported by the players of the club and will reside as the official sponsors for the Hoops’ opening game on 6 August. As a mark of their new partnership, CoinCorner also released a limited edition Oxford City FC Bolt Card that would allow Bitcoin users to take advantage of contactless technology in payments.This partnership was born at the Bitcoin Ballers Winter Cup festival last year, which the OCFC hosted. Oxbit’s founder, Coach Carbon formed a relationship with the FC’s commercial director and the idea to include digital currencies in the sphere was taken forward. He commented, “A three-way call was arranged and things progressed from there once the football club understood and could see the impact CoinCorner could make with regards to Bitcoin education and adoption."
A lower league team owned by Peter McCormack’s pro-Bitcoin football club, Real Bedford is also getting involved in the crypto world since it would also be accepting BTC payments for tickets on the same day. However, CoinCorner CEO, Danny Scott, explains that OCFC is the “first adopter of Bitcoin payments in the National League." While they may be the first, they certainly do not intend to be the last. Scott also said, “We believe this move will set a trend across Non-league and Football League divisions as digital currency establishes itself as the new normal for sports fans and event-goers across the U.K."
Moreover, the director of Oxford City FC also seemed positive about this move and enthusiastic about bitcoin adoption in the football industry, saying “More than 3.3 million people living in the U.K. now own Bitcoin — an increase of approximately one million people in the last year alone. It’s not mandatory for people to engage with our new technology, but we believe in time, paying via Bitcoin will become the new normal in English football."
Bitcoin is on the rise in the United Kingdom with many big-name companies and organisations looking to get involved. Edinburgh is set to host a Bitcoin conference in October to further the conversation.
The writer is the founder at yMedia. He ventured into crypto in 2013 and is an ETH maximalist. Twitter: @bhardwajshash
