Panini, LIV Golf Agree to Exclusive Multi-Year Trading Card Deal
Panini is adding a new sport to its lineup of trading cards.
In a deal announced Thursday morning, Panini and the LIV Golf League have agreed to an exclusive multi-year contract to produce trading cards.
This is Panini’s first entry into golf cards and the first trading cards for professional team golf.
“LIV Golf is thrilled to partner with Panini, a global brand committed to connecting with fans around the world through the love of sport,” LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman said in a statement. “Just as our league continues to innovate and bring professional team golf mainstream, our partnership will introduce new products to the market for millions of passionate fans and collectors to enjoy. As a former player, I’m particularly excited for our players and teams as we work with Panini to elevate their platforms in this space.”
According to Jason Howarth, Panini America's senior VP of marketing and athlete relations, the company had previously explored adding golf to its lineup but ran into a variety of issues.
The LIV Golf League made certain logistics easier and the team format also works well with box breaks.
“Historically, we have talked about trading cards and golf throughout the years and how Panini America could enter the space — but the dynamics of the sport always seemed to be a challenge,” Howarth told Sports Illustrated. “Heavy focus on going out and trying to get the best golfers and the challenges of individual tournaments to incorporate marks and imagery seemed to be a roadblock. The partnership started as an initial conversation back at last year’s Super Bowl where we talked about the challenges in the golf space.
"LIV Golf changed that on a number of levels — all of the best golfers are competing on the LIV Golf Tour and the introduction of a dedicated team format and structure over 14 tournaments around the globe gives the league a unique format that fits well in the trading card space. Trading card and golf fans can now not only collect their favorite golfers but align with teams to root for and support. The team format as we know also lends itself well to the popularity of case breaking.”
The LIV Golf cards will debut under the Prizm and Impeccable brands while featuring match-worn memorabilia and autographs.
The LIV Golf League will also be included in Panini’s on-demand Instant program. Panini Instant team sets are already available for sale with Prizm and Impeccable arriving at a later date.
According to preview images for the products, collectors can expect the typical lineup of Prizm parallels as well as popular Impeccable subsets like Jersey Number Autographs, Silver Metal Cards and Elegance Autographs.
“We have often thought about how to introduce some of our most popular trading card brands to golf, but the sport always had challenges. LIV Golf brought in a whole new dynamic into the sport with their fresh, unique and innovative approach. The team and league format aligns itself to something that did not exist that creates another level of collectability for fans,” Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America, said in a statement. “LIV Golf, with the world’s best players and how the league targets a younger consumer audience with their event tournament format, aligns perfectly with our brands. We are excited to launch this partnership and build a lasting fan base.”
