Panini has entered into a licensing partnership with The Football Association (The FA) to create the first ever UK domestic football sticker collection to celebrate the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Following on from a record breaking 22-23 season which saw match day attendances up by 170% across the Barclays WSL, alongside the Barclays WSL being the most represented women’s professional division at this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, the stage is set to drive the popularity of the women’s game forward yet again.
After the success of similar women’s football collections celebrating international tournaments, Panini, the world leader for published collectables, has announced the physical Barclays WSL sticker collection will be hitting retailer shelves from December 2023, starring the league’s players and icons of the game for the first time.
Celebrating the women’s domestic game, the vibrant and jam-packed sticker collection will feature nearly 350 stickers, including the all-important ‘shinies’ for collectors to chase from all 12 Barclays WSL teams in the English topflight.
Collectors will be able to kick-start their sticker collection with a starter pack, which includes an album and 5 packets of stickers.
Katie Gritt, Head of Marketing for Sport at Panini commented: “This is such a special moment for us at Panini, having the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the growth of the women’s game through the first ever Barclays Women’s Super League Official Sticker Collection! We are extremely proud of our longstanding relationship with The FA and our heritage in celebrating iconic moments through our collections, further cementing Panini in football history. We couldn’t be prouder of this collection and what it represents; the phenomenal growth and success of these incredible women, and we look forward to supporting the continued growth of the women’s game through our Barclays WSL collections.”
The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, Baroness Sue Campbell, added: “We are thrilled to announce our relationship with Panini, a brand that is synonymous with football worldwide. With fan experience key to everything we do, we are delighted that fans of the BWSL will now be able to collect and trade stickers of their favourite players.”
The company has distribution channels in more than 150 countries and counts a staff of over 1200 people. For more information, visit www.paninigroup.com