There have been so many advances in women’s soccer this year. Sold-out stadiums, record-breaking salaries, and league expansion, to name a few. But it’s perhaps the less attention-grabbing advances that signal real, sustainable change is finally taking shape. Take note: There is a bonafide trading card boom happening right now, thanks to Parkside Collectibles, who in 2020 launched a series with the NWSL during Covid around the very first Challenge Cup. Their mission was simple: to celebrate the groundbreaking athletes of the NWSL in the way every professional sports league has in the past.
It’s true every men’s sports league, regardless of popularity, has trading cards. The absence of them from the women’s game was a glaring reminder of the lack of respect female athletes have historically received. That is changing now as companies see real value in investing in women’s sports and creating content around them.
Let’s face it. No sport has captured the imagination of the country like women’s soccer. So, it makes sense that Parkside would start with the NWSL. But there’s more to it than that, as with many people, including myself, who have gotten involved in women’s soccer.
Co-founder Matt Peek was out shopping one day with his daughter looking at…
