PANINI AND LIV GOLF ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE MULTI-YEAR TRADING CARD PARTNERSHIP
Partnership Marks Panini’s First-Ever Golf Trading Cards
Fans Can Pre-Order LIV Golf Team Card Sets at PaniniAmerica.net
LONDON, NEW YORK and West Palm Beach, Fla. — LIV Golf and The Panini Group, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, today announced a multi-year partnership in which Panini will be the exclusive trading card partner for the LIV Golf League. As the first-ever official trading cards for professional team golf, Panini will develop a new series of products never before introduced to fans and collectors across the globe. The partnership also marks Panini’s first entry into golf for trading cards.
“LIV Golf is thrilled to partner with Panini, a global brand committed to connecting with fans around the world through the love of sport,” said LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman. “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.”
“I’ve been an avid collector of different types of sports memorabilia throughout my career, so to have the opportunity to partner with a premium trading card brand is personally very exciting for me,” said Majesticks GC co-captain Ian Poulter. “While trading cards are often times associated with younger audiences, I think this partnership between LIV and Panini is a great opportunity to bring professional golf level with other pro sporting leagues by creating memorabilia for the kid inside all of us.”
Panini’s inaugural line of golf products will include physical trading cards featuring match-worn memorabilia and authentic autographs from LIV Golf players. Panini plans to introduce the first LIV Golf trading cards with its popular Prizm and Impeccable brands. In addition, Panini will launch a LIV Golf Panini Instant card program where real-time cards will be released after tournaments highlighting some of the winning moments and memorable shots throughout the season as well as LIV Golf Team sets.
Fans are now able to pre-order LIV Golf team card sets at paniniamerica.net, with additional products to be released in the near future.
“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,” said Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America. “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.”
Panini works in partnership with many of the biggest leagues and brands in sports and entertainment, including the NFL, NBA, FIFA, Premier League, LaLiga, NASCAR, and more. Established in 1961 in Modena, Italy, the Panini Group is the international brand leader within the world of sticker and trading card collectables, with subsidiaries throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States. Panini has over 1,000 collection launches each year and is one of the leading publishers of children magazines and books, comics, manga and graphic novels, in Europe and Latin America with over 7.000 publications yearly.
LIV Golf’s star-studded, international field features the sport’s biggest names including 2023 Masters Champion Jon Rahm, 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion Talor Gooch (Smash GC), 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (2023 Team Champions Crushers GC), 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith (Ripper GC), 2023 PGA Championship winner and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka (Smash GC), six-time major winner and World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers GC), two-time major winners Dustin Johnson (4Aces GC), Bubba Watson (RangeGoats GC) and Martin Kaymer (Cleeks GC), and many more.