Panini, well-known for its sports trading cards across various disciplines, has now ventured into the realm of golf with an exclusive trading card partnership with LIV Golf. This groundbreaking deal, announced recently, marks Panini’s first foray into the golf world, offering a fresh perspective on the sport through the lens of collectibles.
The collaboration between Panini and LIV Golf grants Panini exclusive rights to craft and distribute trading cards showcasing the talented players associated with LIV Golf. While Panini has a rich history with golf cards, notably dating back to the Donruss brand cards of the early ’80s, this partnership signifies a new chapter post Panini’s procurement of Donruss.
This strategic agreement paves the way for Panini to introduce an innovative line of golf trading card products, with a focus on delivering something distinctive to fans and collectors worldwide. The upcoming offerings from Panini will span physical trading cards, including match-worn memorabilia and player autographs. Noteworthy is the introduction of the first LIV Golf trading cards under Panini’s Prizm and Impeccable brands, alongside a real-time Panini Instant card program capturing pivotal moments from tournaments and seasons, and LIV Golf Team sets.
With a roster of 54 players enlisted with LIV Golf for the 2024 season, this tour, established in 2022 and supported by Saudi Arabian backing, features the majority of its 14 stops outside the U.S., infusing a team dynamic into its 54-hole tournaments. Panini has already kick-started the promotion of the 2024 LIV team sets on its website, underscoring the swift progress of this collaboration.
Greg Norman, Commissioner and CEO of LIV Golf, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership with Panini, emphasizing the potential to introduce cutting-edge products to a vast global audience of fans and collectors. The collaboration is viewed as a platform to elevate the profiles of LIV Golf players and teams in the collectibles sphere, sentiments resonated by Majesticks GC co-captain Ian Poulter, who conveyed his anticipation for uniting with a leading trading card brand.
Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America, highlighted the distinctive and inventive format of LIV Golf as a pivotal element in conceptualizing this partnership, perceiving the team and league structure as offering fresh collectability dimensions for fans. Warsop envisions LIV Golf’s appeal to younger demographics and its array of world-class players as aligning seamlessly with Panini’s ethos, heralding a flourishing collaboration and the cultivation of a devoted fan base.
As Panini gears up to introduce this exhilarating new line, LIV Golf presents a lineup of eminent players, including multiple major championship victors and other golf luminaries, ensuring a captivating product range for golf aficionados and collectors alike. This collaboration emerges at a juncture where Upper Deck is set to unveil its latest golf set featuring PGA Tour stars, indicating a burgeoning interest in golf memorabilia and trading cards across the industry.
