Founded in 1898, Watford F.C. have been among the more popular names in English football and certainly among its most resilient. This is a club that have survived a lot of downs only to rise to ups that nobody believed at one point.
Some of their major achievements of the club include being runners-up of the Football League First Division in 1982-83 season and also winning the runners-up medal in the FA Cup in 1983 and this season.
The run to the final of the FA Cup last season shows that they have come a long way in English football. They finished 11th in the league last season and while it might be disappointing when compared to the standards that manager Javi Gracia has set, the Hornets were among the toughest team to beat last season.
Indeed, under the Spaniard, Watford’s playing style has developed a lot as Gracia has drilled out a team capable of absorbing a lot of pressure against tough opponents.
In simple terms, the Spaniard employs a 4-2-2-2 formation that, as can be interpreted, heavily emphasizes on playing through the middle with the full-backs marauding forward to give the team some much needed width.
While Abdoulaye Doucoure and Etienne Capoue give them the steely base in midfield to protect the defense, Gerard Deulofeu and Troy Deeney roam freely up front with Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra supporting them creatively.
And now, to support the whole club off the field, Sportsbet.io have come forward as sponsors for their shirts. The betting website are going to be in partnership with the Hornets for three years in a deal that is the largest partnership in the history the club.
In the process, they have become the first ever crypto-currency sportbook to have their names printed on the shirts of a football club.
“Our desire to increase our global reach while continuing to make our fans proud by doing things differently in the Watford F.C. way is fully supported by Sportsbet.io,” Watford’s global strategy and partnerships director Spencer Field said. “We are thrilled to have found a partner that matches our ethos by looking to disrupt the betting industry and offer their customers a fun, fast and fair experience.”
With this partnership, Watford now have Sportsbet.io to assist them in their growth as a professional club. Who knows, they reached the final of the FA Cup last season and they might just do one better in the upcoming season to win their first ever title!
As for Sportsbet.io, this is now a major step as they would now attract the attention of the masses on a mainstream level. While there have been quite a few partnerships between crypto-currency outfits and football clubs, partnering with Watford gives Sportsbet.io gives the latter an edge due to the fact that Premier League is one of the most popular leagues in the world and has a massive fan-following in Asia.
In a way, this is going be crypto-currency’s first real test of the mainstream waters.
And together, the future of both the club and Sportsbet.io could be bright!