The multi-year exclusive CA/ACA partnership will introduce NFTs to cricket fans using eco-friendly blockchain technology.
The partnership will support the growth of the game along with supporting past and present players through their historic achievements being featured in NFT moments.
“Yet again Australia has led the way in cricketing innovation by entering the Metaverse with Rario and BlockTrust,” said Ankit Wadhwa, co-founder, and CEO, Rario. “This historic collaboration is a first in the cricketing world, where a national board (Cricket Australia) and player’s association (ACA) have come together to define the future of fandom with NFTs.”
Rario, creator of the world’s first Cricket NFT platform, along with joint-venture partner BlockTrust, will now help Australian cricket fans understand, collect, and engage with NFTs by creating an Australian cricket metaverse of collectibles and gaming.
“We are excited to step into the metaverse with our partners Rario, BlockTrust and the Australian Cricketers’ Association for this historic deal, which will open up huge opportunities for innovation and fan engagement,” said Nick Hockley, CEO, Cricket Australia. “The game’s deep connection with its past, the passion of our fans and the appeal of Australian cricketers to a global audience, means the incorporation of NFTs is another way that fans across the world can engage and be part of the sport.”
Todd Greenberg, CEO, Australian Cricketers Association, said, “This is an exciting opportunity for Australian cricket, and this has been reflected in the cooperative spirit that the ACA and Cricket Australia have partnered with Rario. Once you begin to learn about NFTs you soon understand the engagement possibilities between past and present players with fans are huge. We all look forward to bringing this program to life in the coming months with new and innovative concepts.”
Traditionally collectibles have only featured still images, whereas NFTs can also show the full story of a sporting moment by featuring officially licensed broadcast vision.
Rario and BlockTrust have led a consortium of leading ecosystem partners in successfully procuring this project, including ConsenSys and Amazon Web Services.
