The club’s first home match livestream attracted over 23,000 viewers, and its social channels have already generated more than 22 million views
Banijay Benelux has partnered with Southfields to launch a professional football club created by and for influencers and digital creators.
The team – FC Failliet/Finesse (FCF) – will play in the Dutch professional football league.
Southfields and Banijay NXT will produce and document content around FCF’s journey, sharing daily updates on TikTok and Instagram, and weekly vlogs on YouTube. Fans will follow every match, training session, and behind-the-scenes moment, combining football with social storytelling.
FCF is the world’s first registered football club built around digital creators, merging professional competition with immersive social storytelling.
Developed by Banijay NXT and Southfields, and led by creators with global reach, FCF is a direct response to the shifting media habits of younger fans, who increasingly favour TikTok clips over televised matches, and creators over commentators, say Banijay.
Southfields and Banijay NXT saw an opportunity to create a club that could compete professionally while delivering engaging multi-platform content.
Creators Ilias Vietto, Aimane Charbon and Kleine John were involved in the formation of the club.
The club is fully registered with the Dutch football league, KNVB, giving it the potential to climb the professional football pyramid in the Netherlands.
Based at FC Weesp, FCF competes in KNVB’s Fifth Division West 1. The club’s first home match livestream attracted over 23,000 viewers, and its social channels have already generated more than 22 million views.
This initiative opens new revenue streams – from sponsorships to digital advertising and content monetisation – highlighting the huge commercial potential of combining professional sport with creator-driven content.
Naique Tanate, head of Banijay NXT, says: “With FCF, we turned an idea into reality: to combine the universal appeal of football with the creativity of digital creators. The club was conceived with the vision of Southfields and Banijay NXT, in collaboration with Ilias, Aimane and John, and we’re thrilled to bring their stories to audiences around the world.”
Ernst Veldkamp, CEO of Southfields, adds: “FCF demonstrates how established production expertise can unlock the potential of digital creators at scale. This collaboration is a blueprint for the future of entertainment, merging real-world sport with social storytelling, reaching new audiences, and creating new revenue opportunities for Southfields, creators and clubs alike.”
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