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Aussie Bitcoin move never seen before as Perth Heat make groundbreaking announcement

Alex ConradNCA NewsWire
Perth Heat announced they will pay their players and staff in Bitcoin. Supplied
Camera IconPerth Heat announced they will pay their players and staff in Bitcoin. Supplied Credit: Supplied

Australian baseball team Perth Heat has become the first professional sports club across the globe to pay its players and staff in Bitcoin.

The landmark announcement comes after the Heat entered into a sponsorship deal with leading Bitcoin payments company OpenNode.

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As part of the agreement, the Heat will also accept Bitcoin payments for sponsorships, merchandise and ballpark concessions such as baseball staples of peanuts and crackerjack.

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Heat chief executive Steven Nelkovski believes the groundbreaking sponsorship deal will allow the club to “reach new levels of success both on and off the field”.

“We firmly believe that the mindset that Bitcoin imparts on network participants will be felt by our players, coaches, staff, and our loyal fan base, and we look forward to setting the bar for how much value a sports organisation can bring to a community in the Bitcoin age,” Nelkovski said.

“By embracing the underlying values of the Bitcoin protocol we believe that the organisation can reach new levels of success both on and off the field and remind the world of the true value of sports.

“We know the community looks to the Perth Heat as a model of success and we hope our adoption of a Bitcoin Standard will inspire others to embrace a monetary system that demands value creation to thrive.

“The players and organisational staff have fully embraced the opportunities that being paid in Bitcoin can provide.”

The Heat’s chief Bitcoin officer Patrick O’Sullivan believes the deal is simply a showcase of the baseball club “embracing the reality that the future of money and corporate treasuries” will heavily revolve around cryptocurrency.

“The club has already established an initial position in BTC to help secure its digital property rights on the world’s most secure monetary network and will continue to reinvest available capital into Bitcoin,” O’Sullivan said.

“We believe the world has begun to recognise the power of sound money principles and are determined to lead from the front.

“This is not a one-off purchase to hedge against future uncertainties or inflationary pressures.

“The Perth Heat are embracing the reality that the future of money and corporate treasuries will live on the Bitcoin blockchain.”

The West Australian club is the most successful team Australian Baseball League history, winning four ABL championships since the competition was formed in 2010.

Originally published as Aussie Bitcoin move never seen before as Perth Heat make groundbreaking announcement

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