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Topps will offer fans the option of printing out their card, sharing it online or purchasing an 8-pack, priced at $9.99.
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In an effort to reach the young, tech-savvy fans of MLS, the Topps Co. has developed a program with the league’s community outreach initiative, MLS Works, to create personalized trading cards.
The online platform, set to launch this week, will allow users to upload their own pictures and have their favorite team’s jersey superimposed onto the front of the card. With an aim to promote a healthy lifestyle, users also will fill out information about their favorite healthy snack and how they stay healthy — information that will be used for the back of the card.
After putting the card together, Topps will provide the participating fan with options to print out the card, share it online, or even purchase an 8-pack of the card. Priced at $9.99, that pack of cards will be the same quality as the ones Topps produces for MLS card releases.
The printing and online-sharing options are available free of charge.
This will be Topps’ first effort in customizable cards with a league, said Jeff Heckman, manager of marketing and development for Topps Digital, which develops online extensions for the company’s licensees. Topps will look to further roll out the program in the coming months with MLB and customized baseball cards, as well as additional options for business purposes and youth sports organizations, he said.
“We recognize that the sport of soccer and MLS has a much younger culture than other professional sports in the U.S., and for many of those fans, they didn’t grow up with the culture of card collecting,” Heckman said. “We’re hoping that if we can get those millions of kids who love soccer their own custom card, and more exposure to trading cards more broadly, then they’ll want to collect all of their favorite soccer players as well.”
In 2013, MLS and Topps signed a six-year agreement that made the card company the official trading card producer for the league. Topps also has trading card licenses with other soccer leagues including Bundesliga, the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
