EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 183
album: LND WOMEN’S FOOTBALL 2020/21 (Akinda)
stickers: 1193 in four different albums
(Group A 1-297, Group B 1-339, Group C 1-286, Group D 1-271)
packets: 5 stickers € 1.00
album: € 3.00
Football is (also) a woman. There are sticker albums that need a broader interpretation than the simple review of a product, the social aspect and the message are just as important if not more than the stickers they contain. First of all, don’t be afraid of the nearly 1200 stickers, it’s a total of four albums sold separately.
This is the first important point, Akinda and LND (National Amateur League) had two hypotheses: to create a single one by limiting the space for each club or to make four different albums allowing to expand the squad of players as much as possible, team by team. As collectors, we probably would have preferred the first option, but we must return to the concept with which we opened this review, namely the importance of the message and the widest possible participation.
Right to have followed this path, thus giving the possibility to a very high number of athletes to be present with their own sticker in the album. Above all, this allows you to collect not the entire collection but only the one connected to your favorite club, the sale at sports clubs is the logical consequence, based on where you go to buy it, you will find the reference album. In Bologna, for example, you can find the album C. It is still possible to request the others by contacting the publisher directly (http://it.akinda.com/en/).
Women’s football is mostly amateur, but don’t be fooled, in this album you will also find the female versions of Serie A men’s clubs, beloved by the fans. It is probably our mistake to dwell on redundant names when the growth of the movement is thanks to sports clubs that have started to support women’s football before other more well-known ones arrived later.
In Serie C we find the women’s teams of clubs such as Torino, Spezia and Genoa (Group A); Triestina, Venezia, Padova and Spal (Group B); Bologna, Pistoiese (Group C); Palermo, Lecce and Pescara (Group D). At the same time we also have here “fallen nobles” who in the past have won championships such as Trani and Sassari Torres.
Not all teams have the same number of stickers, this is due both to a wider range of players and also to the presence of trainers, assistant coaches, athletic coaches and sometimes club president. There is no clear rule, we can imagine that the publisher has worked on the information and material sent by the LND and by the individual clubs.
An important detail, the numbering restarts from 1 to each album. A little extra trick could be to print the reference album on the back as well, if you have any doubts, each lot still has an identification number at the bottom, ID7094 Girone A, ID7095 Girone B, ID7096 Girone C, ID7097 Girone D.
The sporting and social importance of this initiative makes it difficult to point out some defects, but they must be said, in the hope that this album will only be the first of a new series and that therefore certain precautions may eventually be considered for future productions. The album could have more information inside, for example the club index and possibly the match schedule could be a valid addition. The massive presence of commercial spaces is not accidental but linked to the sponsors of individual clubs, sponsors committed to supporting women’s football and therefore welcome.
The stickers in turn pay for the sometimes invasive white background and probably the difficulties encountered by the publisher in working on the material received from the companies. Taking into account that official photos provided by the club are also used in the Footballers album, we think that the defects come from sources. It is also clear that a graphic processing in the smallest details would have involved a much longer realization time, as we must take into account the fact that the period is certainly not the most suitable.
In a different period, probably the same publisher could have gone to the various clubs for photographs. Activity that is already in their DNA as you can read on their interesting website. The price of the packets is in line with the current prices. In this case, there is certainly also the need to make up for the important economic commitment in carrying out the initiative.
However, these details and criticisms are overwhelmed by the splendid smiles of the many athletes present in the album, you have the distinct feeling of their happiness of being part of an album, important because with the jersey of their club and important because it is an official product of the National Amateur League. We hope it is the first not only of a series but also a starting point for other albums dedicated to football in pink.
(EN)