Blockchain Decentralization: The FA Cup, Changing the industry but not changing tradition.
The English football season officially ends when the world’s oldest domestic cup competition comes to a conclusion in May every year. This year, the final was between two of the strongest teams in the English Premier League — Manchester United and Chelsea. In this article, we are going to look at the FA Cup, how blockchain decentralization can impact the sports industry without affecting the traditional side of the game.
The English FA Cup is an annual knockout football competition involving every team single team in the top ten tiers of the domestic league levels. It is the oldest domestic tournament in the world and it was first played in the 1871–1872 season. The 2017–2018 season saw an incredible 764 teams compete — a record for any country in the whole world. Every team gets involved every single year, with rare exceptions that most famously include the 1999–2000 season when Manchester United pulled out of attempting to retain their holdership so that they could compete in a special inaugural Club World Championship in Brazil that season. The cup mainly consists of English teams but also includes the six football clubs who are based in Wales but compete in the English divisions — Cardiff City even won the tournament in 1927.
To many, the FA Cup is a footballing tradition involving excitement for many supporters and fans as they prepare for the many weekends in the season where they can watch the matches on terrestrial television. The most exhilarating prospect for many supporters is the infamous ‘David vs Goliath’ matches which shows teams from the lower or non league divisions come up against the Premier leagues finest. Over the decades, generations have seen hundreds of giant killings which last forever in the memories of the supporters who witnessed them. Altrincham football club have never been promoted from non-league football and yet have managed to knock out league teams a total of 12 times — a feat no other club can match.
The FA Cup memories last forever and there are many people who have told their younger generations about Ronnie Radfords spectacular goal for Hereford against Newcastle in the 1970’s, Sutton United’s 1989 massacre of one of the greatest Coventry City sides and Lawrie Sanchez guiding his Wycombe Wanderers side to the semi finals in 2001. Sanchez was no stranger to FA Cup shocks having played in the most shocking FA Cup final in the history of the tournament.
In 1988, Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ managed to reach the final competing against the best team in the competition and potentially the world’s best team at the time — Liverpool. Sanchez and his teammates had only been a league team for 11 years and played in a stadium that was falling apart, a training ground that was not even fit for a sunday pub team and a squad that was inexperienced at the highest level of the game. They shocked the world by knocking out team after team after team before heading into a final and predictably a hurdle that they could not jump over.
Liverpool’s team were high and mighty — Bruce Grobbelaar and his eccentric jelly legs in goal, a strong Scottish defence captained by Alan Hansen, a creative midfield with the speedy John Barnes running down the wing and a terrifying attack including Ian Rush, John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley. All managed by player-manager and Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish — pivotel to their solid successes at the time. This Liverpool team would probably have won several European Cups had there not been a ban on English clubs competing in Europe as a result of the Heysel disaster.
Wimbledon were on the other side of the scale, Bobby Gould was managing a team with fairly unknown players involving few that had competed at international level. They were well known for other reasons — nicknamed the ‘Crazy Gang’ — this Wimbledon team were more well known for the practical jokes, their unattractive football and argumentative play. Vinnie Jones, the now famous Hollywood ‘hard-man’ actor was the pillar at the back of their defence and his intimidating behaviour scared the silkiest of attackers. They did not play attractive football, they played playground football and managed to gain results by using psychological tactics that would frighten their opponents before they had even stepped onto the pitch. The same tactics currently deployed by New Zealand’s ‘All Blacks’ Rugby Union team when they perform their impressive Haka dance.
The match was all set for a Liverpool thrashing, bookmakers were confident and very few had predicted the actual outcome of the game. Over 98,000 spectators watched in awe on a sunny day at Wembley when Lawrie Sanchez shocked the world by heading in a Dennis Wise cross. The atmosphere was intense, Wimbledon fans knew from this moment it would be a case of trying to defend the sexy attacks that Liverpool would now bombard. Many shots would be fired at Dave Beasant’s goal and yet he saved each and every single one — even more impressive for a man who would never have been considered to be called up by Bobby Robson’s great England National Team at the time. The Wimbledon fans would cheer and sing and scream, celebrating at the prospect of what might be — could Wimbledon really beat this Liverpool team?
Then the worst happened, with an hour into the match and during a Liverpool attack, Referee Brian Hills whistle made a loud screeching sound that no Wimbledon fan wanted to hear. Aldridge was fouled by Goodyear in the box and Liverpool were awarded a penalty. This was the moment everyone had expected, Liverpool were going to equalise and then eventually score a winner preventing the footballing shock of the century. The situation was made even worse for the viewers at home, they could see via replay technology that Goodyear caught the ball cleanly and that a penalty should never have been given. Regardless, Aldridge grabbed the ball, placed it on the spot, and got ready to score a goal that every striker should be able to do blindfolded. With a confident posture, Aldridge hit the ball cleanly into the left hand side and Wembley was full of cheering fans. The cheers and shouts were not from Liverpool supporters, the world watched as Dave Beasant managed to make the save of his career by preventing one of the best strikers in the league from equalising. Beasant went on to keep his clean sheet and the boys in blue and yellow walked up the long steps to collect their winner’s medals from the Royal Family, a result nobody expected.
The traditions, giant killings, rises of the underdogs are what makes the FA Cup one of the most illustrious tournaments in world football. In today’s technological climate, fans are worried on the impact that new and different solutions can affect the way the games change. We have seen positive impacts with the example of goal-line technology but there has also been criticism over systems like the potential of VAR and what affects that could have onto the game.
Blockchain decentralization is happening in many industries and companies, such as Globatalent, have arrived to impact the multi-billion dollar sports industry. The changes that will come with the arrival of blockchain technology within sport could worry few who may be wary of how it works but it is imperative to point out that unlike match day technology, the impact can only be positive.
Blockchain decentralization within sports will provide athletes with more opportunities than ever before to attain financing that would previously have been unavailable to them. Globatalent has a blockchain platform that will bring transparency, clarity and fair play to the financial aspect of sports and as a result it will create an exciting future for the industry as a whole. It will allow sports people to reach the top of their game when they previously could not due to economic reasons and this means that more talented athletes than ever before will have the opportunity to make it to professional status. This allows competitions like the FA Cup to showcase athletes that previously would never have even had the ability to take part in such a competition. This creates an even more competitive tournament, even more giant killings, even more underdogs and even more excitement to all involved.
Globatalent will also allow fans and supporters to invest in the clubs and athletes that they choose and that they are passionate about — this means that when they are supporting their favorite team on their FA Cup run, they have an extra involvement as they will have be on the personal journey with the players playing in the tournament. This creates more passion in such an amazing competition without affecting or changing the traditions of the game.
Blockchain decentralization is the future of most industries in the world, it allows fair-play and equality in areas where it previously did not exist. In the sports industry, it is a technology that only brings positive influences onto the games involved and does not change any of the traditional aspects that we all know and love. The impact is going to change the world forever and the most exciting aspect is that each and every single one of us can be involved in supporting blockchain projects like Globatalent and make a real difference to sports industry as a whole.
By Rob Spitz
For more information, please see www.globatalent.com
Press Contact: Rob Spitz (rob@globatalent.com)
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