Manchester City to build Etihad Stadium in the Metaverse

The celebrated soccer team has begun the initial stages of building its iconic home stadium in the Metaverse so fans can be part of live and recorded matches around the world.

Premier League champions Manchester City and their new partner Sony have begun building a virtual replica of the Etihad Stadium which will be the team’s central hub in the Metaverse.

Etihad Stadium is the home of Manchester City, England’s top soccer team at the moment. The team announced on Feb. 18 that it had signed a three-year agreement with Sony, which will provide virtual reality experts to use image analysis and skeletal-tracking technology from subsidiary Hawk-Eye.

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Manchester City hopes fans will enjoy all the benefits of having a virtual stadium. Although Covid restrictions are still hampering travel options for some, the ability to watch games in an immersive Metaverse setting could be a relief to fans itching to get a taste of a game setting again.

The team is tearing down geographic barriers for fans who want to be part of a live or recorded match by beginning construction of the virtual Etihad Stadium. City Football Group’s chief marketing officer Nuria Tarre told Inews on Feb. 18 that:

“The whole point we could imagine of having a Metaverse is you can recreate a game, you could watch the game live, you’re part of the action in a different way through different angles and you can fill the stadium as much as you want because it’s unlimited, it’s completely virtual.”

Sony’s Hawk-Eye subsidiary has long been dedicated to enhancing sports for viewers and officials. It helps officials make in-game judgments in real-time with specialized replay technology. Its visualization applications will be used to recreate the dimensions of Etihad Stadium in the Metaverse.

Man City’s new partnership with Tezos (XTZ), announced on Feb. 10, was the first part of what now appears to be a full push into Web3 exposure for the team. Tezos will be the team’s official Web3 and training kit partner, and may also help develop digital merchandise which may have a connection with Etihad Stadium in the Metaverse.

Related: Former Manchester United players to launch soccer-centric DAO

Cointelegraph wrote on Jan. 23 that “increased interactivity and ownership of virtual items” were particular assets to having a base in the Metaverse. Man City may be jumping on both of those opportunities to give fans around the world more accessibility to the team and stadium.

Man City’s foray into Web3 and the Metaverse could be of interest to Liverpool FC. The Reds may follow suit in order to boost revenue, according to ECHO, a Liverpool news outlet.

Blockchain

Peepl seeks to enhance adoption by rewarding users with new tokens for every food delivery order.

On Monday, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram announced a 700,000 pound ($955,957) investment into blockchain-powered food delivery service Peepl. The software aims to act as a cost-efficient alternative to food delivery giants for local restaurants.

Peepl claims that it can save restaurants up to 50% on the commissions typically charged by food delivery platforms through its technology and partnerships. In addition, the Peepl platform promises to give consumers back 5% to 10% on each order's value in the form of Peepl Tokens (PPL). However, they will be locked within the network for at least four to five years.

According to its website, its developers propose to fix the price of each PPL token until 2025. On top of making transactions, PPL token holders would also be able to participate in the network's governance.

Mayor Rotheram issued the following statement of support for Peepl:

"In the Liverpool City Region, we aren’t the sort to simply follow the crowd. We like to be disrupters; to chart our own course and take great pride in our local businesses and community solidarity. Peepl has the potential to radically disrupt the food delivery market by bringing together all those values and injecting a lot more fairness – for riders and restaurants alike – to an industry not known for its treatment of workers."

Leon Rossiter, CEO and co-founder of Peepl, said the following in regards to the development:

"Advances in blockchain technology, alongside shifting values and laws, mean new business models are possible for the internet, and the local economies we all live in."

Liverpool