SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sportsbet.io has jointly announced the opening of the Saints Social Club with Southampton FC, as the Premier League team’s main club partner.
The launch has been described as the ‘ultimate fan bar’ with artwork, kits, and memorabilia in celebration of a 136-year football club history, and is being supported by a ‘first-of-its-kind’ crypto fan fund.
“It’s been a privilege to work with Saints Voice and the Southampton fans throughout this process, and we’re so excited to see the Saints Social Club come to fruition this summer,” said Helen Edwards, Head of Responsible Gambling at Sportsbet.io.
“Through the Crypto Fan Fund, we wanted to show how crypto can be used to genuinely support fans and help them deliver the initiatives that they want to see, and with the help of Southampton FC and Saints Voice, we’re delighted to have been able to do exactly that.”
Located at the Northam Social Club, the pair have also highlighted that designs include stained-glass artwork of Southampton heroes, past and present.
Sarah Batters, Director of Marketing & Partnerships at Southampton FC, said: “It’s been brilliant to work in close collaboration with the representatives of our Saints Voice panel and to find out what really matters to them in order to bring the best matchday experiences for our fans.
“The new Saints Social Club will provide a wonderful opportunity to bring our fans together and act as a real focal point for our local community.”
An all-day event marked the opening of the club during Southampton’s home fixture against Manchester United which saw attendees such Nigel Adkins and Francis Benali.
Following the launch, VR headsets will be donated to ‘dedicated Southampton fans’ which allows international fans to experience the atmosphere at the stadium virtually.
Also in football, last month Sportsbet.io became the latest operator to partner with Low6, leveraging the firm’s gamification products for this year’s FIFA World Cup. Low6 will develop a ‘Sportsbet.io Clubhouse’ for the multi-currency operator – which allows customers to bet using fiat and crypto – themed around the upcoming tournament.
Recently, Batters spoke to Payment Expert about the club’s further attempts for fan engagement. The club’s new kit for the 2022/23 season saw the team tap into the blockchain and web3.0 space as it continues to evolve the way it engages fans globally.
She said: “What’s important is that we need to be where our fans are and find the right experiences to connect them to the club, but also not forgetting our core fanbase who will want to continue interacting with the club in a more traditional way.”
