The world of football is increasingly embracing the world of finance, with Bulgaria’s oldest football club, Botev Plovdiv FC, announcing its adoption of Bitcoin payments through the Lightning Network and joining the decentralized protocol, Nostr.
With immediate effect, fans attending matches in the top-flight Bulgarian Parva Liga can make peer-to-peer payments using Bitcoin at Botev Plovdiv FC’s fan shops and stands. The club also plans to expand the use of Bitcoin payments to include ticketing and its online store.
Anton Zingarevich, the president of Botev Plovdiv FC, expressed his enthusiasm for the move, particularly highlighting the potential of the Lightning Network. He said that Bitcoin payments have the potential to become as ubiquitous as the internet, aligning with their vision and offering convenience to fans and stakeholders.
The club’s integration of Bitcoin payments was made possible through a partnership with BTCPay Server, a Bitcoin payment processor known for its open-source architecture, secure infrastructure, and low merchant fees. The payment hardware was provided by CryptoDesk.bg, in collaboration with Bitcoinize.com, who supplied the point-of-sale devices.
![Botev Plovdiv FC, Bulgaria's oldest football club, adopts bitcoin image 164](https://i0.wp.com/nosisnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/image-164.png?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1)
![Botev Plovdiv FC, Bulgaria's oldest football club, adopts bitcoin image 164](https://i0.wp.com/nosisnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/image-164.png?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1)
George Manolov, Bitcoin director at Botev Plovdiv FC, emphasized the many opportunities that Bitcoin offers, noting that they are excited to lead innovations into sports and elevate the club to new heights.
In addition to adopting Bitcoin, the club has also updated its online presence, with its official website undergoing changes, English social media channels brought up to date, and an account created on Nostr – a decentralized protocol providing censorship-resistant social media.
This move follows in the footsteps of Real Bedford, a UK-based football club that was the first football club globally to adopt Bitcoin. Peter McCormack, chairman of Real Bedford, noted that more football clubs embracing Bitcoin is a positive development for the sport, increasing awareness of Bitcoin while bringing success to the clubs.
McCormack believes that Bitcoin’s unique characteristics act as a “cheat code for life” and praised the clubs adopting a low-time preference Bitcoin standard as a foundation for their future.
Meanwhile, football fans attending Botev Plovdiv FC’s home game against second-placed Lokomotiv Plovdiv will have the option to pay using Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, with the announcement made on Bitcoin white paper day to celebrate the occasion and showcase the club’s support for Bitcoin.
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