Winklevoss Capital, an investment firm founded by twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has invested $4.5 million in a soccer club owned by cryptocurrency podcaster Peter McCormack.
In a statement, British football club Real Bedford (RBFC) said that following the investment, the two Winklevoss brothers will take on the role of co-owners of RBFC alongside McCormack.
“We share Peter’s deep belief in Bitcoin and its ability to accelerate RBFC’s drive to get into the Premier League,” – Tyler Winklevoss said in a press release. “Since our first conversation more than two years ago, Peter has proven that he knows how to build a successful club and we are excited to work with him as co-owners,” Tyler added.
Real Bedford is a non-league soccer club based in Bedford, UK. The soccer team was taken over by McCormack back in 2021, and he has set an ambitious goal of bringing the team into the soccer league.
So far, the Real Bedford team has won a league and cup double in its first season, and has been promoted to the Spartan South Midlands Premier League. The Premier League is the highest level of the English soccer league.
“Seeing the progress Peter has made at Real Bedford and his approach to community building has been truly inspiring,” said Cameron Winklevoss.
“His ability to translate vision into action is exactly why we believe in this project. We are not just investing in a football club, we are investing in the dream of bringing Premier League soccer to Bedford. We firmly believe that Peter is the right leader to make this dream a reality,” Cameron added.
Football teams backed by crypto companies
Over the years, an increasing number of soccer clubs have received investment or sponsorship from cryptocurrency companies or individuals.
Paris Saint-Germain has partnered with Socios.com, a blockchain-based fan engagement platform that allows fans to interact with the club through digital tokens called “Fan Tokens.”
FC Bayern Munich has strengthened its presence in the cryptocurrency space, signaling a multi-year partnership with Austrian company Bitpanda.
Southampton Football Club has signed a sponsorship deal with Coingaming Group, a cryptocurrency sports betting platform. AC Milan, meanwhile, has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange BitMex. Moreover, Watford FC has a sponsorship deal with Stake.com, a cryptocurrency sports betting platform.
