Last year Fan Controlled Football (FCF) hit the market with completely different approach then the leagues that have come before it. Part arena football and part fan interaction, FCF has definitely carved a niche out for themselves.
For the first season, FCF aired all of its games on the Twitch streaming service. For Season v2.0, the league has worked to expand its reach. Beyond Twitch, FCF signed a deal with NBC which would televise every game across NBCLX and the companies Peacock TV streaming service.
Well, it looks like the league has more news to deliver on the broadcasting front.
#DAZN is the new global broadcast partner for one of the most innovative leagues in the world, Fan Controlled Football (@fcflio). Fans worldwide will be able to watch all FCF games, events, and original content throughout the 2022 Season v2.0 on DAZN – starting this Saturday. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/pZkLeAHY0A
— DAZN (@dazngroup) December 16, 2021
Just now, FCF put out a press release announcing DAZN as their new global broadcasting partner.
Essentially, DAZN will air all regular and post-season games, as well as original programming throughout Season v2.0. All programing will be available live and on-demand in over 200+ countries.
DAZN will bring American football fans worldwide FCF pre-season events, all regular and post-season games, and original programming throughout the 2022 season – both live and on-demand to all 200+ of its countries and territories around the world (with the exception of the United States, where games will be available on-demand only).
This deal excludes the United States, as we’d expect with the NBC partnership we mentioned earlier. Regardless, this is huge news for FCF and their fans worldwide.
When we look back to the first season, I think it’s safe to say that nobody would have expected the impact that they’d have so far. With Season v2.0 kicking off April 16th, we won’t have to wait long to see what the FCF can bring to the table in 2022.
In fact, you won’t need to wait long at all. The release states that DAZN will start airing FCF programming this weekend.
DAZN will begin streaming live FCF content this weekend, with the open player Combine tryout on December 18th from Jerry Chabola Stadium in Culver City, California. All-access will continue into FCF’s nine-week Spring 2022 season with seven regular-season weeks, one playoff week in early June, and culminating in the People’s Championship.
This weekend is should be special, Wild Aces Owner and Los Angeles Chargers player Austin Ekeler is set to be in attendance. If you’re in the area, it sounds like you won’t want to miss it. But, if you aren’t it sounds like you’ll be able to tune in!
Additionally, FCF has a few more planned through February. If you’re looking to get on the field, or know someone looking to get into the league make sure you send them over to tryouts.fcf.io. Below is a full list of the tryout locations, but the link will give you a lot more details.
Did you watch FCF last year? Do you plan on watching Season v2.0? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
FAN CONTROLLED FOOTBALL (FCF) SEASON v2.0 ANNOUNCES DAZN AS NEW GLOBAL BROADCAST PARTNER
DAZN will stream all Season v2.0 action to 200+ countries and territories worldwide
LOS ANGELES (December 16, 2021) – Fan Controlled Football (FCF), the only professional sports league that empowers fans to call the shots, today announced DAZN, the leading global sports streaming platform, as its new global broadcast partner for Season v2.0. DAZN will bring American football fans worldwide FCF pre-season events, all regular and post-season games, and original programming throughout the 2022 season – both live and on-demand to all 200+ of its countries and territories around the world (with the exception of the United States, where games will be available on-demand only).
Chris Pantoya, Chief Commercial Officer & Head of Strategy at Fan Controlled Football, said: “DAZN has built one of the fastest-growing sports streaming platforms and their partnership will serve as a catalyst in the continued expansion of our global fan base, which is essential to the future of the FCF. ”
James Rushton, Co-CEO, DAZN Group, said: “FCF is one of the most innovative leagues in the world and as a fan-first streaming platform, we’re thrilled to bring all of FCF’s uniquely fan-driven and wildly cutting-edge action to DAZN subscribers worldwide. This partnership marks an exciting addition to our ever-growing global portfolio and underlines our commitment to provide fans with their sport, their way – anytime, anywhere, any device.”
FCF is doubling in size from four (4) to eight (8) teams in Season v2.0 with the highly-anticipated return of the original core four:
- Beasts (co-owned by Marshawn Lynch, Miro, and Renee Montgomery)
- Zappers (co-owned by Bob Menery, Trevor May, Ronnie Singh, and Dalvin Cook)
- Glacier Boyz (co-owned by Richard Sherman, Adin Ross, and Deestroying)
- Wild Aces (co-owned by Greg Miller, Barbara Dunkelman, Rachel Lindsay, and Austin Ekeler)
Notably, two (2) of the four (4) new teams will be exclusively managed by collectors holding an all-access Ballerz Collective NFT, enshrining the FCF as the first professional sports league offering an NFT with IRL utilities, benefits and VIP experiences – giving collectors unparalleled access to their team’s ownership, coaches and players. The first of the two new teams are co-owned and operated by Steve Aoki and crypto and NFT thought leader 888, while the second will be led by the Knights of Degen and its partnership of Drew Austin, Jack Settleman (formerly of Wild Aces), Tiki Barber, Ronde Barber, Cynthia Frelund, Blake Jamieson, Shara Senderoff, Mike O’Day, Jared Augustine and Jasmine Maetta.
DAZN will begin streaming live FCF content this weekend, with the open player Combine tryout on December 18th from Jerry Chabola Stadium in Culver City, California. All-access will continue into FCF’s nine-week Spring 2022 season with seven regular-season weeks, one playoff week in early June, and culminating in the People’s Championship.
To start, throughout the pre-season, fans will have the opportunity to determine team names, colors, logos, uniforms, cast votes on league-wide rules, and other team branding and building opportunities. Additionally, before and during each game fans will help determine which players make the roster via a weekly fan-run draft, call plays in real-time, make the calls on rule changes, and more. Register today for Season v2.0 via FCF.io or FCF mobile application.
Fans across the globe can sign up for DAZN at DAZN.com or by downloading the DAZN app on their connected device of choice, including smart TVs, PCs, mobile phones, tablets, and game consoles.
Fan Controlled Football
Fan Controlled Football (FCF) the only professional sports league that combines the passion and competitiveness of live and fantasy sports with the interactivity of video games – is the first platform in professional sports history empowering fans to call the shots, from branding and personnel decisions to real-time play calling. The FCF is the democratization of sports with Season v2.0 expanding to eight (8) teams kicking off in the Spring of 2022, featuring seven regular-season weeks and one playoff week, culminating with the People’s Championship. Regular and postseason play, in addition to exclusive behind-the-scenes league content available via TWITCH twitch.tv/FCF and broadcast network NBCLX. For more information download the FCF mobile application, visit FCF.io and join the conversation Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with #FCF and #PowerToTheFans.
DAZN Group
DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports: from production, through to content distribution and commercialization. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sports streaming platform, DAZN News, the popular sports portal and DAZN Player, the proprietary sports VOD platform for publishers. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is now live in more than 200 countries and territories. Visit www.dazngroup.com for more information.
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FCF Contact: Bryan Kirsch, bryan@fanchi.se
DAZN Group Contact: Haiwen Lu, Haiwen.Lu@dazn.com
