Chiliz, a blockchain company for the sports and entertainment industry, has just announced a strategic partnership with gaming studio Unagi and the French Professional Football League (LFP) to launch Coach Ligue 1.
This is the first fantasy football game developed by a league.
Coach Ligue 1 offers fans of Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT the unique opportunity to build teams using trading cards of their favorite players, minted on Chiliz Chain.
By developing its own assets, the French league eliminates the risk of license expiration. So, this ensures a perpetual connection with fans and a sustainable model for leveraging the league’s intellectual properties.
French League Fantasy Game presents gamified experience
The game features a gamified experience where fans can compete weekly to climb positions on national and global leaderboards.
Simply use in-game currency to purchase new player packs and upgrade your teams. Coach Ligue 1 also features five card rarity levels (in descending order):
- Espoir
- Pro
- International
- Champion
- Légende
This allows users to participate in increasingly competitive tournaments.
This partnership with Chiliz guarantees limited availability and value for each card in the game thanks to blockchain technology. Thus, it improves card collecting and trading experiences for fans.
The development of the Coach Ligue 1 platform was facilitated in collaboration with Unagi. The same game studio behind Ultimate Champions with great experience in games and web3 technologies.
Thus, Chiliz envisions a future where leagues themselves will be pioneers in the realm of NFT sports and fantasy games. While they will enjoy the power of having control over revenue streams, user engagement and cross-selling opportunities.
At the same time, these leagues will create equity value for their clubs and shareholders.
Partnership at the forefront of entertainment for football fans
Alex Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz, expressed his enthusiasm for the project: “We are extremely proud to launch Coach Ligue 1 in partnership with Unagi and the LFP. This isn’t just a game; it is the start of a new vertical that will see many similar collaborations with other leagues across the world.
Therefore, by owning the direct relationship with fans, leagues can now more effectively monetize and leverage their intellectual properties. All this without the restrictions of third-party licensing agreements.”
Charlie Guillemot, Co-Founder and CEO of Unagi commented: “Coach Ligue 1 offers a new experience for football fans. Collecting, trading and competing with digital player cards will be allowed throughout the season.
“This complements our existing platforms, adding a new dimension to our community. So we’re excited about what’s to come in 2024 as we continue to expand our digital ecosystem,” he added.
Martin Jaglin, Director of Digital Growth at LFP Media, added: “Partnering with Chiliz to launch Coach Ligue 1 represents a significant milestone for us. This initiative sets a new standard for how leagues can directly engage and provide value to fans through digital assets.
“After all, we are pioneering our own fantasy football game and we guarantee that LFP Media will remain at the forefront of digital transformation in sports entertainment,” concluded Jaglin.
