WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management
The Metaverse to Radically Change Professional Football Club Business Models
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The metaverse and its underlying technologies are causing substantial change to our everyday lives—and that includes the world of sports. In a study from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, 103 proven industry experts provide the first-ever outlook on how blockchain, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies could affect professional football and industry business models by 2030.
The Metaverse to Radically Change Professional Football Club Business Models
From giving viewers active voting power to offering digital jerseys and seats in virtual football stadiums—the potential that the metaverse offers the world cannot be understated. In the future, professional football clubs will be able to make full commercial use of the technology behind the metaverse, exploring new use cases that will significantly change their business models. This is the result of a new Delphi study conducted at WHU under the direction of Professor Sascha L. Schmidt. Unlike survey-based research, a Delphi study sees select industry experts discuss pre-formulated projections (here, twelve) for the future, assessing the likelihood of their occurance, the desirability of such an outcome, and what the potential impact would be.
The metaverse can be applied in a variety of ways, yet has remained unexplored in many areas. Even renowned experts—including the managers of well-known football clubs, football leagues and associations officials, and representatives from broadcasting and digital agencies—often still arrive at contrasting conclusions concerning how likely it is that any given projection will become reality. However, there is general consensus that, in the future, immersive hardware, such as augmented reality (AR) headsets or virtual reality (VR) equipment, will be increasingly integrated into the entertainment offerings of football clubs—a likelihood of 76%. For example, with the help of VR goggles, fans will be able to experience football matches live in a virtual stadium, without ever having to leave their homes.
The panel indicated a 75% chance that professional football clubs will be able to significantly reduce their marketing costs by 2030 due to increased reliance on tailor-made, AI-supported advertising offers made in the metaverse. The interaction between the club and its fans is also expected to greatly improve through the use of Web3 applications (72% chance). It is conceivable, for example, that more and more football fans will buy virtual fan tokens over time. These tokens could be used to offer fans exclusive access, preferential treatment when buying (VIP) tickets, or even voting rights, thus allowing viewers to influence the club’s decisions more strongly.
The experts also consider it possible (68% chance) that professional football clubs will create a new position, a “Head of Metaverse,” in the near future, or will generate more than five percent of their annual sales through virtual goods and services (60% chance). Other projections, including the possible use of so-called “smart contracts” as part of squad management, appear comparatively unlikely (51% chance) to the experts.
Information about the study
The Delphi study “AI, Blockchain, and Immersive Technologies – Metaversal Business Models of Professional Football Clubs in 2030” was conducted by Professor Sascha L. Schmidt (WHU), Professor Heiko A. von der Gracht (Steinbeis School of International Business and Entrepreneurship; SIBE), Dr. Daniel Beiderbeck (WHU), and Gerrit Heidemann (WHU). As part of their research, the authors asked 103 select industry experts from eleven countries for their assessment of the likelihood of occurrence, desirability, and possible impact of twelve pre-formulated future projections. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of the metaverse and its underlying technologies on the business models of professional football clubs in 2030.
- Schmidt, S. L./von der Gracht, H. A./Beiderbeck, D./Heidemann, G. (2023): AI, Blockchain, and immersive technologies – Metaversal business models of professional football clubs in 2030. Center for Sports and Management (CSM), Düsseldorf/Vallendar.
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Bernadette Wagener Associate Director Public Relations WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management Campus Vallendar, Burgplatz 2, 56179 Vallendar, Germany Tel.: +49 261 6509-540; presse@whu.edu; www.whu.edu WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is the Business School of the WHU Foundation.