Real Bedford FC, a professional soccer team integrated with Bitcoin, gives Bitcoin fans a team to root for.
This is an Op-Ed by Marek Feder, Investro Editor-in-Chief and Bitcoin Journalist who recently visited Bedford, England with a group of Bitcoin and soccer fans from Slovakia.
Being a football fan and Bitcoin enthusiast, I knew it was only a matter of time before I made my visit to Bedford, England. home to a football team owned by “What Bitcoin Did” host Peter McCormack. And once I heard that a group of like-minded people were traveling from Slovakia, my homeland, to Bedford, to watch a game between Real Madrid F.C. and Holmer Green FCI decided to join.
Here are some things I learned about the Bitcoin community from this experience and why I think all Bitcoin and soccer fans should plan their own trips too.
Meet like-minded people
First of all, one of the best things about trips like this is the opportunity to meet people who see the world in a similar way to you, at least a little. And while during most gatherings you and your fellow Bitcoiners will have only one thing in common (Bitcoin), if you decide to take a trip to Bedford for a football game, chances are good that there are at least two topics that will be discussed. you are interested have in common.
The combination of football and Bitcoin ensured that we could instantly bond even though most of us had never met. Furthermore, it gave us the opportunity to not only talk about Bitcoin and everything related to it, which in most cases can have a bit of a formal or at least educational connotation, but through football we were able to relax even more. and enjoy a beer and generally have a great trip.
What’s more important is the fact that a trip or event like this gives you the chance to meet people you might never have met otherwise. In just a small group of 11 people who came to the meeting from Slovakia, we not only had Pavol “Stick” Rusnákco-founder of Trezor and Satoshi Labs, but we also had other Bitcoin entrepreneurs join the trip, as well as a member of the Slovak parliament.
A trip like this can therefore be a good opportunity for many different reasons, from meeting like-minded people, sharing knowledge and networking.
Supporting a circular economy
While most of the time on this trip we had to use fiat to pay, all club-related payment could also have been settled in BTC, either on-chain or via the Lightning Network. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before the city of Bedford becomes one of the most important circular economies for Bitcoin, not just in the UK, but quite possibly in the world, even though this city has only around 170,000 people.
But maybe the fact that this isn’t New York City or Beijing works in his favor. In a smaller city, people may realize that something important is happening faster. Seeing people everywhere wearing black and yellow hats and skull scarves will make the locals think and, most likely, act too. Local businesses, restaurants, hotels, etc. they will soon have to compete for the Bedford football fans who come to town from all over and have an interest in Bitcoin.
Therefore, the adoption of Bitcoin in Bedford could be just around the corner. The more Bitcoiners who come to Bedford not only to watch a game, but also to enjoy Bitcoin meetups, the more local business owners will hear the question, “Do you accept bitcoin?” And the adoption game theory will start to develop very quickly once the first dominoes fall, as we all know that Bitcoiners spend and support lavishly. We ourselves would have supported local businesses if given the chance.
learning from the best
Before the match started, we were lucky enough to be joined by Rusnák, one of the OGs from space. He gave an inspiring lecture on self-custody and its importance, teaching not only other Bitcoiners, but also those who might have been new to the technology.
The long question and answer session that followed his lecture clearly showed that people are interested in the topic and wanted to understand it more. And not only in the matter of self-custody, but in Bitcoin itself. Rusnák was bombarded with questions from left to right, and the newcomers had the opportunity to hear the answers from one of the most proficient speakers on the subject.
While it’s impossible to have people like Rusnák at every meeting or before every Real Bedford football game, the more interest there is from football and Bitcoin fans, the more well-known and knowledgeable people are likely to come to Bedford to share their knowledge and talk to people.
The combination of Bitcoin and soccer just works, so why not support it?
Real Bedford is owned by McCormack, a renowned Bitcoin podcaster with probably one of the best known Bitcoin podcasts in the world. Combining soccer and Bitcoin may seem a bit strange at first: Bitcoin is seen as money, an investment asset, a global monetary network, etc., but as the main and only selling point of a soccer club? Many might have been quite surprised when this “synergy” was announced.
However, McCormack is making it work perfectly. He and his team are doing a wonderful job evangelizing not only the name of Bitcoin in the world of soccer, but also the name of soccer in the world of Bitcoin. The merchandise of jerseys, caps, scarves and other items from him is undoubtedly improving the finances of the football club, which is currently sitting. comfortably in first place in the Spartan South Midlands Football League. The promotion seems very possible, which would show that McCormack could be onto something.
Yes, going from the tenth division to the ninth division may not be the greatest achievement and the ultimate goal of moving to the Premier League is still some way off, but the team, as well as the general culture and atmosphere surrounding the club, are definitely exciting. , the community is thriving and that first milestone is just nine games away as of this writing.
Low time preference at its finest
With the ultimate goal of moving to the Premier League, McCormack and his club Real Bedford are probably one of the prime examples of keeping time preference low, a very popular concept among Bitcoin fans. Even if the team were to heroically win every league title, it would take nine years to progress to the Premier League. And winning the league every year is, honestly, impossible.
However, according to McCormack, the more immediate goal is to take the club to one of the top four leagues in the next 10 years. This goal is much more achievable, not only from the football side, but also from the Bitcoin side. Personally, I don’t think Bitcoin is anywhere near the current price, but it will be much higher (in dollar terms) in 10 years. And if that’s the case, Real Bedford may have a huge advantage compared to their competitors no matter what league they’re in. in worse situation
If this plays out the way many of us expect, Real Bedford could be one of the biggest winners from the next bull market or two. Even if Real Bedford don’t make it to the Premier League in the next 10, 15 or 20 years, the project is poised to succeed eventually and may be a prime example of why keeping a low time preference works.
celebrating a victory
While there are definitely other reasons one should visit Bedford, the above definitely stood out to me. All of us who came to Bedford for this trip agreed that the visit was a great success, as it gave us the opportunity to not only meet other Bitcoiners but also support a football club with great ambitions. The seven to one victory for Real Bedford that we saw was definitely a nice cherry on top.
This is a guest post by Marek Feder. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
