ENABLING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ATHLETES FROM AFRICA

PROJECT UPDATE: The Podium Pursuit Collective

Overcoming Barriers and Unlocking Potential

African athletes have long faced significant challenges in accessing funding and opportunities to compete on the world stage. Despite these hurdles, they continue to defy expectations, break records, and showcase immense talent, determination, and resilience.

As the sports industry in Africa, valued at $12 billion and projected to exceed $20 billion by 2035, continues to grow, the continent’s influence in global sports is becoming increasingly apparent.

However, the path to success is not easy. Many African athletes lack the financial support needed to participate in international competitions, and there is a pressing need to create sustainable funding models that can support the next generation.

This is where ProTouch Africa's The Podium Pursuit Collective comes in.

The Vision: Empowering Athletes, Driving Social Change

The Podium Pursuit Collective, spearheaded by sports technology business ProTouch Africa, is transforming the landscape of African sports.

At its core, the project seeks to harness the collective power of Africa's top athletes and activate global fans and the African diaspora to contribute to the creation of an Athlete Impact Fund—a world-first initiative focused on sustainably funding African athletes.

The overarching vision is clear: to ensure that African athletes are not only recognised for their sporting prowess but are also celebrated as influential brands with the ability to drive social and economic change.

Through collaboration, fan engagement, and new revenue streams, The Podium Pursuit Collective aspires to reshape the sports marketing landscape across the continent, providing African athletes with the support they need to thrive both on and off the field.

A Sustainable Funding Model: Combining Performance and Purpose

The Podium Pursuit Collective is designed to offer new opportunities for both brands and fan investors. The initiative combines athlete performance with purpose-driven goals to create a dynamic, sustainable funding ecosystem. Key components include:

THE AFRICAN ATHLETE COLLECTIVE: A community of over 5,500 top-performing athletes from 54 African nations across 36 sports codes. This collective will serve as the backbone of the project, ensuring that the continent's best athletes receive the recognition and financial support they deserve.        

A DIGITAL CLUBHOUSE: A Web3-enabled mobile fan engagement platform (Fan App),is already live in beta, allowing fans to interact with and support African athletes in new and innovative ways. This platform built on the blockchain, will enable fans to access exclusive content, live blogs, results feeds, and more.        

AN ATHLETE IMPACT FUND: This groundbreaking fund will provide fans and investors the chance to directly support the growth and development of top African athletes, changing the way athletes from the continent are funded and empowered.        

Implementation Plan Update: A Roadmap for Growth

The implementation of The Podium Pursuit Collective is progressing in three phases, each designed to build momentum and engage key stakeholders.

Phase 1: Building the Foundation (Past 24 Months)

Over the past two years, ProTouch Africa has made significant strides in assembling the core components of the initiative:

• TRACKING ATHLETES: Since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, ProTouch Africa has been tracking all major global sporting events to identify and assemble an ecosystem with over 5,500 African athletes. Detailed digital profiles for each athlete, containing their results, rankings, and social media links, have been created and are now housed within the Podium Pursuit Digital Clubhouse.
• THE DIGITAL CLUBHOUSE: Version 1.0 of the Podium Pursuit Fan App is already live in beta on iOS and Android, giving fans access to aggregated news, live blogs, match results, and rewards for interactivity. During 2024, the platform engaged over 332,000 fans, and ongoing development will soon include personalised fan experiences and direct interaction with athletes.
• THE ATHLETE IMPACT FUND: ProTouch Africa began activating the community of over 30-million fans globally, laying the groundwork for the launch of the Athlete Impact Fund in 2025, in the lead-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and beyond.

Phase 2: Engaging Stakeholders (Q1 & Q2 2025)

In 2025, the focus will shift to gathering further insights, engaging with key stakeholders, and tokenising investments:

• ATHLETE, BRAND AND FAN SURVEY: A comprehensive three-part survey will be conducted to better understand the challenges facing athletes, the needs of brands when it comes to sponsorships, and fan preferences. The findings will help shape the future of the initiative.
• ENGAGING THE. DIASPORA: In partnership with the Pan African Chamber of Commerce, African Diaspora Development Agency, and Africa In Motion, ProTouch Africa will activate the global African diaspora. These efforts will drive support for the Athlete Impact Fund and engage a network of individuals with strong ties to the continent.
• ATHLETE BRAND PARTNERSHIPS: ProTouch Africa is collaborating with global airlines to facilitate the participation of African athletes in international competitions, by making unused and expiring airline miles accessible. Additionally, AI-enabled partnerships will help streamline the talent identification process on the continent.
• TOKENISING FAN INVESTMENTS: The soon-to-be-launched ProTouch Africa Fan Token will allow fans to invest in African athletes and contribute to the Athlete Impact Fund. These tokens will also be distributed to founding partners and investors involved in kickstarting the fund.

Phase 3: Education and Acceleration (Q3 & Q4 2025)

By mid-2025, the focus will be on educating and empowering athletes further and accelerating their careers:

• ATHLETE BRAND MASTERCLASS: A series of masterclasses will be launched to help athletes build and manage their personal brands. In collaboration with the Athlete Brand agency, these classes will be tailored to the African market and delivered through both online and in-person formats.
• ATHLETE BUSINESS ACCELERATOR: ProTouch Africa is partnering with The Athlete Brand to develop a Business Accelerator for athletes. This initiative will help athletes transition into post-competition careers by providing them with business development support, resources, and ownership in their ventures.

A Collective Future

The Podium Pursuit Collective represents a bold new direction for African sports, one that seeks to empower athletes, engage fans, and create sustainable opportunities for investors and sponsors.

By harnessing the power of the African diaspora, fan communities, and innovative technologies, this initiative aims to unlock the full potential of Africa’s next generation of athletes.

With a clear vision, a comprehensive plan, and the support of stakeholders across the globe, The Podium Pursuit Collective is poised to reshape the future of sports on the continent—empowering athletes to not only compete but to thrive in every aspect of their careers.

CONTACT Rebecca Eliot for more information.

Mobile: +971 50356 9814 email: [email protected]

DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL CLUBHOUSE HERE

PROTOUCH AFRICA was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in South Africa, with a presence in Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates. 

The company is dedicated to enhancing fan engagement and generating new revenue streams for sports brands across Africa and the Middle East through a range of services tailored for the sports sector, including:

- Strategic Advisory: Consulting services to help sports brands navigate market challenges.
- Digital Solutions: Technology platforms to boost fan engagement and optimise monetisation strategies.
- Official Distribution: Distribution of internationally-developed technology platforms across Africa and the Middle East.

By leveraging blockchain technology it fosters engagement and immersive experiences for fans, provide an unparalleled opportunity for brand partners and is focused on its vision to unlock the potential of the next generation of high-performing athletes from Africa.