I. Abstract

Project WITH is a new platform that supports career development of sports players by utilizing blockchain technology, provides clubs with the optimum window to scout players, and provides fans with the platform of interaction and sharing information that was previously unavailable.

Sports are often called the universal language that transcends language, gender, and race, and it is known that nearly one billion people around the world enjoy various sports activities. According to the research data of global statistic firm Statista, the scale of global sports market is valued at $90 billion and the industrial growth exceeds global GDP growth every year, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.

The “sports industry” is very extensive from professional sports to recreation, fashion and games. Project WITH aims to develop the platform that delights fans by supporting the transfer/scout and reasonable valuations of “athletes”, who are the protagonist of sports scene entertaining the public, to ensure that all athletes are given a fair opportunity and continue a stable career.

Starting with the football industry which has biggest scale and growth in the sports industry, the platform of Project WITH will gradually expand to baseball, basketball, cricket, and other league-run team sports, and in a near future, it aims to expand to individual events such as golf, tennis, and etc.

By allowing the participants of the sports industry including athletes, clubs, agents, fans and companies to interact within an ecosystem, the platform of Project WITH is trying to provide 1) more opportunities to athletes, 2) the opportunities to clubs to optimize the team and generate revenue from transfer fees, 3) the venue where fans can share practical information and contents beyond the “social network” where they simply communicate. (However, in principle, WITH platform is a platform designed for the connection through information provision, and does not involve in ‘transfer-related actual contracts and the structure of associated revenue costs’ that were carried out by existing market participants.)

Project WITH team consists of experts with years of experience in the football industry, especially the experience of running a platform that proved its real effect and the agent experience in the English Premier League.

In addition, the actual WITH platform is already under discussion about the platform upgrade with various partners, including Japan’s largest sports agency and domestic largest sports contents channel. Moreover, it will cooperate with former/current agents, team authorities and athletes who are most aware of existing problems to solve the chronic issues of the sports industry.

Updates

Two main updates to the previous abstract are,

1. Extended target: Ordinal sports activities and data from public are extensively included in WITH services.

2. Extended services: New blockchain services of WEDID, NFT, Blast, Metaverse, KICK and Fantasy football are developed and published.