Arthur de Oliveira Sales is a footballer from Brazil’s Acopiara region, born in 2002. He is now a Brazil striker currently playing for Brazilian Serie A team EC Bahia, on loan from Belgian club Lommel SK. “That is one of our scouts’ many biggest trophies,” says Yevgenij Yurstev, director of partnerships at the Blockchain Sports academy, as he sits on the construction sights in Estrada Acopiara Lagoinha. “We don’t play to just win, we play to develop. Our scouts have had notable success in taking players to the professional league, and it’s a joy for us to be able to keep facilitating the same.”
Arthur Sales was not the only player brought up by Blockchain Sports scout Lima and scouting director Matula Mindaugas. Belgian club RSC Charleroi’s forward Vakoun Bayo, as well as Brazil’s Fortaleza’s midfielder Hercules Pereira do Nascimento are some other notable cases.
Despite the academy being in its early days, Blockchain Sports Academy is strategically positioned to tap into the rich football heritage of Brazil, located in the picturesque landscapes of Acopiara region. Blockchain Sports is building the academy on 4.8 hectares of land allowing an opportunity for children especially from the low-income households to participate in professional sports. A unique combination of blockchain with the academy will also allow fans, families and more to track player’s individual developments, invest into them at an early stage and be a part of shaping the player’s future.
“One of our main objectives is to merge Web3 with football,” says Yurstev. “Another is to provide education, both in football and in general, which will allow them to adapt to any working model at any club in the world. This will allow us to have a media portfolio to track key performance indicators of each player, allowing our scouts to make informed decisions.”
The development of football academies in Acopiara represents a significant step towards transforming football development in the region. A state-of-the-art facility and comprehensive coaching programs can offer holistic approaches needed for player development. We’ve already seen the introduction of blockchain and cryptocurrency in sports before where it’s implemented in various aspects of the sports industry promoting security, transparency, engagement and more. Not so long ago in 2018, UEFA partnered with blockchain ticketing platform SecuTix to sell mobile tickets for the UEFA Super Cup. Outside of football, we’ve seen the NBA partner with Dapper Labs to create NBA Top Shots while multiple sports celebrities in all sports have launched their own digital collectibles to engage with fans in different ways. Blockchain Sports’ latest developments mark another significant milestone in the world of football.
As we watch young players in action, the academy’s scouting director explains the culture and context of the club. “We’re one of the first blockchain-based academies in Brazil. Our technology will allow us to digitise each football player in Blockhain Sports, with 100 NFT cards for each player, each of different rarity,” Mindaugas explains. “Based on every player’s individual performance, the NFTs will dynamically update in real time, and the better the performances, the rarer it gets – providing a lot of value for those who invest in it” continues Mindaugas.
As we walk the wet grass of Estrada Acopiara, he also explains the academy development within Blockchain Sports that plans to hold show-matches in different formats. First is the Panna, a popular format in Brazil and Holland, held in a 1 to 1 format. The second is Volta, an internationally recognised format by FIFA which hosts teams in smaller 3 or 5-a-side pitches. Blockchain Sports aims to invite global football stars to participate in Volta or Panna exhibition tournaments to boost the academy’s presence in Acopiara and beyond.
“Diversity is the secret. We’re scouting to attract the brightest talent exclusively from around Brazil, with player details and portfolios all stored on the blockchain” says Mindaugas.
Developing players is not just about training them. Blockchain Sports Academy aims to provide a large housing complex for the academy and its graduates, also providing full education to the players, making them ready for the global arena from all angles. With boys arriving in the club from a very young age, we aim to create a ‘social profile’ on the blockchain for each player, in the form of a constantly, dynamically evolving NFT.
Whilst bridging the gaps between the world of web3 and web2, Blockchain Sports recognise the responsibility to educate players and academic growth is highly valued as their on-field development. “Players don’t just bring their boots and bags, but also school records, if any. We take all that data, put it on the blockchain and each player’s progress is tracked, in all possible ways,” adds Yurstev.
Blockchain Sports also believes that players will be at their best when they are encouraged to be themselves on the field. “We work on what you do best,” he says. “This helps players be their best, perform their best, as each players individual scores are stored as meta-data on the blockchain, on their NFTs – which in turn allows their growth as prospects to other clubs, retail investors who may partake in fantasy leagues and more,” continues Yurstev. The marriage between Web3 and football allows Blockchain Sports to not just have an innovative focus on blockchain and web3 with the world of football, but also help and support talent from all around the world, creating unique environments for professional and personal growth.