Fan Controlled Football

Fan Controlled Football (FCF) operates a professional 7-on-7 indoor football league where fans are empowered to make key decisions for their teams. The company's core concept merges live sports with the interactivity of video games and the engagement of fantasy sports. The idea originated in 2015 when the founding group purchased an Indoor Football League (IFL) franchise, the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, and created an app for fans to vote on everything from the team name to in-game plays. This venture served as a proof-of-concept, leading the founders to establish their own independent league.

The company was founded by Sohrob Farudi, Patrick Dees, Ray Austin, and Grant Cohen. Farudi, the CEO, has a background in finance and technology and previously worked with Dees at Flipswap Inc., a mobile phone buy-back platform. Dees, a serial entrepreneur, serves as Chief Gaming Officer. Austin is a former NFL player, and Cohen has a background in mobile marketing. The group's journey began by testing their fan-control concept within the established IFL before launching FCF. The league officially debuted in February 2021, playing its inaugural season in a bubble environment in Duluth, Georgia.

FCF's business model centers on creating an immersive entertainment product for a digitally native audience. Fans, via a mobile app, control team branding, player drafts, and real-time offensive play-calling during games streamed live on platforms like Twitch, Peacock, and DAZN. The league generates revenue through multiple streams, including sponsorships, media rights, and more recently, the integration of Web3 technologies like NFTs. In January 2022, FCF secured a $40 million Series A funding round, intended to fund two more seasons and expand the league from four to eight teams. This round was led by crypto-focused venture firms Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital. However, the company faced a cash crunch due to shifting capital markets, which led to the postponement of its 2023 season. In response, the business is pivoting to a model that includes licensing its fan-engagement technology to other sports leagues and selling league franchises to new owners.

All games are played in a single, custom-built studio arena in Atlanta, designed for streaming. The on-field product is a fast-paced, 7-on-7 version of football on a 50-yard field. FCF has attracted professional-caliber athletes, including former NFL players like Johnny Manziel and Terrell Owens, and celebrity team co-owners such as Marshawn Lynch, Quavo, and Richard Sherman to drive engagement. The fan-voting mechanism is its unique selling proposition; before each offensive snap, fans have a short window to choose from a selection of plays, with the majority vote determining the action on the field. To deepen engagement, the league introduced the 'Ballerz Collective,' an NFT community providing owners with team governance rights and other play-to-earn mechanics.

Keywords: interactive sports, fan engagement, professional football, digital entertainment, live streaming, sports technology, fantasy sports, play-to-earn, NFT integration, league operations