Maryland Athletics partners to roll out ‘fan tokens’ in 2026

Jul 23

2 min read

Maryland Athletics will be part of a new wave of fan engagement beginning this fall.

Maryland is one of five schools to partner with PlayFly and Socios to roll out the first-ever fan tokens, a form of cryptocurrency in accordance with SEC and CFTC guidelines. Socios announced the coin is expected to launch before the end of 2026.

Socios describes the “fan tokens” as a way for fans to directly support athletes with a “meaningful portion” of the revenue dedicated to NIL, while Socios noted via release it provides a way for fans to “vote on fan focused decisions, participate in exclusive experiences, unlock unique benefits and connect with their favorite teams in new ways.”

Maryland joins Penn State, LSU, Michigan State and Texas A&M as the first schools in the program with aspirations to “scale out” to 30 universities over the next year. The five schools also join a program that several international clubs implement including Arsenal, AS Roma, Manchester City, PSG, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus among others.

PlayFly is also responsible for the NIL portion of the partnership with Socios operating the fan token portion, a collaboration that will now add another revenue stream for an athletic department now in year two under AD Jim Smith.

"LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State and Texas A&M represent some of the most passionate fan communities in global sports, and Fan Tokens will provide fans, alumni and supporters everywhere with a new way to connect, engage and be rewarded for their fandom,” Socios said via release.

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