Powering the AO Art Ball to Redefine Fan Engagement Through Web3

The Problem

Tennis Australia wanted to transform the Australian Open (AO) into more than just a sports event. With a growing focus on lifestyle, entertainment, and global digital accessibility, they sought to create a unique experience that would:

- Expand reach beyond traditional sports audiences.

- Engage digital-native fans globally.

- Integrate sport, art, collectibles, and real-time data into a dynamic metaverse ecosystem.

The Solution

To bring this ambitious vision to life, Tennis Australia partnered with Pellar, a leader in Web3 infrastructure and digital asset solutions. Pellar architected and powered the entire technology stack behind the AO Art Ball, transforming a traditional sporting event into a boundary-pushing digital ecosystem. The result was a world-first: an NFT collection that seamlessly integrated real-world match data, generative art, digital collectibles, and immersive metaverse access, all in real time.

Each of the 6,776 NFTs in the inaugural 2022 collection, and the 9,230 NFTs in 2023, represented a unique 19cm² plot on the AO tennis court. Using Hawk-Eye electronic line-calling data, every match-winning shot was tracked to pinpoint accuracy. If the shot landed on a plot owned by an Art Ball holder, their NFT would instantly be updated with detailed match metadata, including the players, scores and round, and upgraded visually within the NFT artwork. Championship point winners could even claim the real match ball in a handcrafted display case. This gamified mechanic merged digital ownership with real-world rewards, creating one of the most innovative sports collectibles in the world.

Our infrastructure supported real-time smart contract updates, NFT trait evolution, and token-gated experiences. It also enabled deep integration with Decentraland, where AO Art Ball owners could access virtual events, wearables, and exclusive content. Additional features like Supersight delivered AI-personalized stats, multi-angle match streams, and backstage views to remote fans. This holistic digital layer, designed and powered by Pellar, turned each Art Ball into more than an NFT. It became a living, evolving experience tied to the drama and excitement of every AO match.

Results

- Primary Sales: USD $1.48M

- Secondary Sales: Over USD $8M

- Became the first branded NFT project to win a Cannes Lions Award in the Entertainment category.

- Widely emulated by other global tournaments like the French Open.

- Created a new benchmark for fan engagement at live sporting events through Web3.

Key Technologies

- Blockchain (Ethereum, ERC721)

- Hawk-Eye Electronic Line Calling

- Smart Contracts & Metadata Automation

- IPFS for decentralized storage

- Chainlink VRF for random plot assignment

- Decentraland for metaverse integration

- Generative and interactive NFT design systems

https://ao.artball.io/litepaper.pdf