Footy stars John Aloisi and Eddie Betts headline Australian crypto NFT launch

Blockchain powered digital non-fungible tokens have become the latest craze in arts and sports collectibles, and are coming to Australia.

Australia’s John Aloisi scores the winning penalty against Uruguay in their qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup. Picture: Getty Images

Famous sporting moments featuring football stars Eddie Betts and John Aloisi will spearhead the release of what are believed to be among the first Australian non-fungible tokens to be launched locally.

Aloisi’s famous penalty for the Socceroos to beat Uruguay in 2005 and qualify for the World Cup the following year will feature, along with AFL star Betts, a spectacular goalscorer for Carlton and Adelaide Crows, in the Australian section of a marketplace led by global blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider Binance.

NFTs such as digital art and collectibles surged in popularity earlier this year. The items often are traded using cryptocurrency. Verification via blockchain makes digital goods unique and provides proof of authenticity, which makes them attractive to buyers.

Among the biggest deals were an NFT by digital artist Beeple which earlier this year sold at a Christie’s auction for $US69m ($92m), and Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has sold his first tweet for more than $US2.9m.

Meanwhile, World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee is selling the original code used to make the internet as an NFT.

Binance’s 100 Creators campaign will be launched via auction this week, including eight Australians across sport, photography, art and other unique content.

It includes meme paintings by street artist Lushsux and a series of characters called “RoboGhosts” by sneaker artist Sekure D. Designer. Artist Bianca Beers will exhibit 10 artworks, each embodying a different theme.

John Aloisi’s famous penalty for the Socceroos is being launched as a digital non-fungible token. Picture: AP

The Aloisi and Betts NFTs will be issued as unique trading cards created by a local artist to capture the famous moments.

“What will be additionally unique about them is that they will feature a one-off audio file that we will mint to accompany the card, which will be John and Eddie talking about the moment that goal was scored. With this approach, the collector will be guaranteed to have a file that is unique to them,” says John Didulica, the chief executive of W Sports & Media, which is working with Binance to launch the Australian NFTs.

“John and Eddie are athletes who own moments in time. John’s penalty in November 2005 is the sort of moment that defines lives and that people know where they were when the moment happened.

“Equally, Eddie is the sort of footballer who creates magical moments that stay with people and makes them fall in love with sport. So to be able to capture their moments in a really unique and engaging way is something that fans of the players and fans of those moments can hopefully treasure – and legitimately own a part of.”

AFL star Eddie Betts. Picture: Michael Klein

NFTs are a digital file containing creative works such as art, music and audio, video and pictures that can be bought and sold.

The blockchain technology that powers cryptocurrency is used to make unique tokens.

The tokens each have their own identification that cannot be replicated, meaning they can serve as a proof of ownership for original and unique editions of various digital artefacts.

The NBA’s Top Shot NFT marketplace in the US, where basketball fans purchase video highlights from history, has exploded in popularity and reportedly made more than $US230m. Other sporting organisations such as UFC are following in the NBA’s footsteps.

“I think NFTs are the most interesting sports asset that has emerged in the last 20 years. As exciting as digital platforms are and OTT is, they are fragmenting an original and indivisible right – the exclusive right to show a game,” says Didulica.

“In my view, NFTs are effectively creating an entirely new proprietary rights class and will unlock so much capital for intellectual property owners over time. NFTs sit at this great juncture of powerful IP, being verifiable and also being a collectable, so will only appreciate over time.”

Originally published as Footy stars John Aloisi and Eddie Betts headline Australian crypto NFT launch