Collecting Panini football stickers has been an integral part of football culture for decades, and now fans have the opportunity to acquire stickers featuring players from the second division of women’s football.
Katie Bradley of Charlton Athletic and Jodie Hutton are among the first athletes from the Women’s Super League 2 (WSL 2) to be represented on the new football stickers.
Bradley remarked, „I used to collect stickers when I was younger but it was just the men’s stickers then. It’s good just to see now that they’ve got the women’s and the second league as well.“ Hutton added, „It’s always nice to have a shiny sticker because that’s the one that everyone wants, isn’t it?“
Significant Growth in Women’s Football
Panini launched its first sticker album in 1970, which for over fifty years focused exclusively on the men’s game. In 2023, the company released its inaugural women’s football stickers covering the Women’s Super League, and the inclusion of WSL 2 clubs is viewed as a testament to the growth of the sport.
Currently, there are 66 WSL 2 stickers, with plans for this number to increase in subsequent editions. When asked if her younger self would have ever imagined being featured on a sticker, Hutton responded, „No. I think I would have turned around and been like, I won’t. But like I say, it’s nice to just be recognized as women’s football and again show the growth and the direction that football is going in.“
Charlton’s Aspirations for Promotion
In addition to sticker collecting, the Charlton team is also gathering points efficiently in their league. They currently sit at the top of the table and have a strong chance of promotion at the end of a season where up to three clubs could be promoted.
Bradley stated, „Our main goal is to win the league and get promoted that way, but I think it’s just exciting for the league as well, like to have second place and maybe third place play-off as well, that it might go right down to the wire for second and third places. It’ll be really exciting and it’ll just bring more attention to the league as well.“
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Bildquelle: Bildquelle: Benjamin Davies auf Unsplash
