Urbanball CEO Sean Garnier headed up a team of street football specialists and entrepreneurs last week as they jetted off to Jeddah in search of the best local street football talent. On the 14th October, some of the top street football players from across Saudi Arabia had the chance to show off their skills and impress the judges during the Jeddah Fightball qualifiers organized by Urbanball.
Following a day of fun and games where everyone who participated was a winner, two local players stepped up to claim victory and secure their places in the GCC Qualifiers at the world famous Burj Park in Dubai. As part of their prize, the two victors will be flown to Dubai by Urbanball to represent Saudi Arabia at the street football extravaganza which will take place alongside the Gumball 3000 festival on the 12th and 13th November.
EX Sports is a full circle fan engagement platform centered on an NFT Marketplace, Live Streaming, Gaming and E-Commerce. A core mission of EX Sports is to promote athletes in ‘niche’ sports, such as muay Thai, jiu jitsu, powerlifting and street football. Although many of the leading athletes in these sports have huge fan bases, they are largely overlooked in comparison to athletes in more traditional or established sports, such as English Premier League players, NFL pros and NBA athletes, many of whom are currently seeing significant financial rewards from their ventures into the new and lucrative world of NFTs and digital collectibles. With a focus on leveling the playing field, EX Sports is committed to fighting for these ‘underdogs’.
A comprehensive street football ecosystem, Urbanball features a play-to-earn mobile game, NFT collectables, 1-vs-1 ‘Fightball’ tournaments, micro-events, e-commerce and talent management, all of which are fully interconnected. Led by Sean Garnier, the athletes who have signed to the brand include former and current world Panna and Freestyle football champions, who together have more than 30 million followers in their social media accounts, reflecting the EX Sports philosophy of supporting underrepresented but hugely popular athletes in niche sports that tend to be overlooked by the mainstream media.