Women’s football editor and women’s football superfan Mia Claydon says the first-ever WSL sticker book being released by Panini later this year will be “very successful”.
The book is set to be released in December this year, and it will be the first time in English history that the top women’s domestic league has had a sticker collection launched.
Ahead of the Women’s World Cup this year Panini did release a sticker album for the competition and so many fans across the globe were buying packets and swapping stickers to complete their respective albums.
A phenomenal nostalgic buzz
Claydon who edits for the football news website VAVEL says, “This new WSL sticker book will be very successful!, the buzz around the most recent Women’s World Cup sticker book was phenomenal, with thousands of people across the world swapping stickers with each other.
“It’s such a nostalgic process for me, as I used to collect stickers and trading cards for the Premier League when I was younger. So I’m extremely happy they’ve finally made a WSL one.”
350 stickers and 12 ‘shinies’
The album is set to contain nearly 350 stickers, including all 12 WSL teams players and also some icons of the league from years gone by. It will also include ‘shiny’ (special foil) stickers, from all 12 teams.
When the sticker collection is launched, fans will be able to kick start their collection by purchasing a starter pack containing the album and 5 packets of stickers.
Panini has been creating sticker albums since 1970, but they only released their first women’s football sticker collection ahead of the 2011 WWC. However, last year they did release their first women’s domestic football sticker collection for Spain’s top-flight league, Liga F.
Claydon added: “You can clearly see that there’s a demand for these sticker books now, where there hasn’t been before.
“The Euros changed the trajectory of women’s football in England, and some of the best players in the world are choosing to play their football here (in the WSL). Fans travel across the country to see their heroes live – the attendances are showing that difference from only two or three years ago, so to be able to collect stickers of these players is incredible.”
Football stickers have been around since the 1960s
Football stickers and cards have been around for many years in England and across the globe, but mainly for men’s football. Therefore, the introduction of a WSL album is a major breakthrough for the women’s game, especially in England.
Claydon said: “It’s absolutely huge. When I was younger, I had West Ham players stuck all over my wardrobe – I wanted to be the next Mark Noble. I had no women’s football players to look up to and I had no idea that women’s football existed until 2014.
“My first women’s footballing hero was Leah Williamson, which speaks absolute volumes, as she’s only two years older than me! Now, little girls and boys are exposed to that from a young age.
“They can see the path, play as women on FIFA, and in December, start to collect stickers of their favourite WSL players.
“This is massive, and I honestly never thought this day would come.”
To find out more about the collection and to find out the eventual release date in December, check the Panini website.
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