World Mobile, the first mobile network built on renewable energy and blockchain technology, partners with Fulham FC. Through this partnership, World Mobile and Fulham FC will connect millions of people to the Internet in Sub-Saharan Africa by sharing ownership of the network. Throughout the last year, sports organisations and clubs have increasingly become aware of digital currency and its potential value. Starting in the U.S., Carolina Panther, Russell Okung was paid half of his $13 million salary in bitcoin (BTC), according to NBC Sports, and at least two other NFL players already receive at least part of their salary in bitcoin. As blockchain enters mainstream finance and business as the most groundbreaking technology since the Internet, sports organisations will play a pivotal role in creating awareness around its advantages.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, Pan Middle East, South Africa, Israel, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates nearly 20 million people watched the 2020 EFL Championship (English Football League), highlighting English football’s popularity and influence across the world.
World Mobile will be the Official Principal Partner of Fulham FC for the next three years. The World Mobile logo will feature on the front of the Club’s shirts for Men’s, Women’s, Under 23s, and Under 18s teams, a milestone accomplishment for the first mobile network built on Cardano’s blockchain. The partnership was carefully crafted over many months and originally detailed in the first quarter of 2021. Throughout the three-year agreement, World Mobile and Fulham FC will create powerful content and embark on collaborative efforts that support World Mobile’s mission to connect the unconnected by sharing ownership of the network with its users.
World Mobile aims to bridge the digital divide by 2030 and will connect the continents with the highest demand for WIFI, starting in Africa. So far, World Mobile has sponsored connectivity initiatives within several educational institutions and a Smart Village, which previously had no Internet access. Now, they are focused on connecting Zanzibar, followed by Tanzania Mainland and later Kenya. Once the initial groundwork is laid down, the company will sell affordable network nodes to local business owners to own and run the network on their own. When a user signs up for World Mobile’s services, they’ll gain a decentralised digital ID, powered by Cardano’s Atala Prism, which can be used to access digital banking and economic freedom.
Fulham FC, founded in 1879, is the oldest professional football club in London. FIFA recently named it the most ethical club in the Premier League based on ownership, partners, employment practices, fan involvement, and tax status. Off the field, the club’s official charity is the Fulham FC Foundation, which offers an array of community programmes. The Foundation runs over 25 programmes, under eight themes including Disability, Football and Sport Participation, Health and Wellbeing, Women & Girls and Youth & Community. The Foundation looks forward to working with World Mobile and in partnership, supporting the Foundation to deliver its mission of ‘building better lives through sport’.
“We are so excited to begin this partnership with Fulham FC,” says Micky Watkins, CEO of World Mobile. “It’s crucial to us that we share the same values as our partners, and we’re confident that based on Fulham FC’s history, we have a shared viewpoint. This partnership will help spread the word on our mission to connect Africa and beyond, giving everyone an opportunity to get involved.”
“Fulham FC prides itself on its community-driven spirit, as seen with the incredible work that continues to be carried out by our Fulham FC Foundation,” says Alistair Mackintosh, CEO of Fulham FC. “We support World Mobile’s vision to improve connectivity in less developed areas. Keeping the world connected is the future, and we look forward to working with World Mobile during the three-year term of our partnership and assisting them, by using our club platforms, to publicise and amplify their fantastic work.”
