For as long as most of us have collected footy cards, the name on the wrapper has been Select. That’s about to change. Select has announced that its AFL licence will end at the close of this month, with founder Grant Copley confirming the news on Saturday and expressing his disappointment with the AFL’s new licensing arrangements.
What Select said
In a statement to collectors, Copley didn’t hide his frustration. “We’re extremely disappointed with the decision by the AFL and its new master licensee,” he wrote, “particularly considering record royalties and world-class trading cards that we’ve produced.”
He also looked back on how long the relationship has lasted. “Our AFL journey began on 1 August 1989, when we signed our first contract with the AFL,” Copley said, adding that Select has since produced “some 167 series of cards and stickers, along with a range of other AFL collectables.”
There is practical news for collectors too. Eminence will be Select’s last AFL product, and the company says all outstanding redemptions will be honoured in full unless it is directed otherwise. Other AFL stock from Select’s archives and storage will be released until 31 December 2026, giving collectors one last chance to fill gaps.
Copley was clear that the company itself isn’t going anywhere. “This is not goodbye to Select,” he said, pointing to its other licences locally and overseas, before signing off with a hint: “who knows, we may be back one day.”
Behind the scenes: a court fight
The announcement didn’t come out of nowhere. In September, Select launched a competition case against memorabilia producer Sport Entertainment Products (SEP), alleging misuse of market power. According to legal reporting, Select alleges that SEP breached Australian competition law by deciding not to renew its AFL sub-licence beyond 31 October, a decision that would remove Select as a competitor in the trading card market. A court has also heard that the AFL itself could be drawn into the case. Select Cards hits AFL memorabilia co. with misuse of market power suit.
The detail that matters is that Select’s AFL rights were held as a sub-licence. That suggests SEP sits above the card producer in the licensing chain, and it was SEP, not the AFL directly, that chose not to renew. SEP is an established name in Australian sports collectables. It supplies Australia Post with philatelic products and sources game-used and match-worn items from leagues, clubs and athletes. As far as we can find, it has no history of manufacturing trading cards itself.
So who’s next?
No successor has been officially announced. The AFL hasn’t named a new trading card producer, and nothing on the public record confirms who will make AFL cards from 2027.
The name most collectors expect is Fanatics, through its trading card brand Topps. The evidence is circumstantial, but it adds up:
- Fanatics already has a foot in the door. The AFL signed a 10-year partnership with Fanatics in 2023, and Fanatics holds exclusive master licence rights to manufacture, market and sell official AFL supporter apparel and accessories. aflafl
- Fanatics owns Topps. Fanatics completed its acquisition of the Topps trading card business in 2022, giving it a card-making operation of enormous scale.
- Australia is a growth market for them. Australia and New Zealand have become Fanatics’ fastest-growing markets outside the US, and its local partners now include the AFL, Richmond, Essendon, Rugby Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee.
Our own read, and it is speculation, is that SEP holds the master rights and will need a production partner with real card manufacturing capability. Topps is the obvious fit. Collectors have been hearing rumours for a while: as far back as early 2025, one forum poster suggested a third party had acquired the AFL licence, possibly Fanatics/Topps. Until there’s an official announcement, though, treat Topps as the favourite rather than a certainty.
What collectors are saying
The reaction on our Facebook page has been a mix of sadness, scepticism and excitement.
Many expect a Topps takeover, and plenty have opinions on what that would look like. “Topps. Sticker Autos and $1500 boxes incoming,” wrote Kirk Hayward. Luke Pea was blunter: “Topps. 1/1s. Sticker autos. Breaker delights. Whatnot specials. We are ready to be taken advantage of.” Dave McCormick agreed: “Topps I reckon and there will be 1/1 cards.”
Others welcomed a shake-up. “About time, maybe the new mob can print enough cards for everyone to collect,” said Dean Keenan, while Sammy Hatz felt it was “Time for a change imho. Was all getting a bit same-same from season to season.” Chris McCullough took a swipe at supply: “Maybe select can focus on one sport and maybe print more then a couple cases of stock…”
Redemptions are a real concern. “Bit concerned about the line ‘we will continue to honour redemptions unless instructed otherwise’. Might be some nervous hoarders out there,” noted Mike Gribble. Scotty Mac asked the question many will be thinking: “Will they still redeem old redemptions? I have a sealed 1995 box.”
And some are simply sad to see Select go. “Sad to see Select go. Looking forward to the third lot of Premiership limited edition cards for my kids this year,” wrote Peter Fitzroy.
Select’s legacy
It’s hard to overstate Select’s role in modern footy card collecting. Select has held the AFL trading card licence without interruption since 1993, which is 33 years as the only official producer of AFL collector cards. A whole generation of collectors grew up opening Select packs, from the early base sets through to Footy Stars and the premium hobby lines.
Select also changed what an AFL card could be. Signature cards and other special inserts began appearing in packs in the 1990s, and the Hall of Fame set marking the competition’s centenary is credited with sparking a boom in footy card collecting. More recently, Select rode the box break wave. “Box breaks” exploded in popularity in 2020, often with collectors buying a 1/18th share of a box aligned to their club. Its premium cards set records along the way: a 2021 Select Supremacy quad signature card of Tony Lockett, Jason Dunstall, Doug Wade and Gary Ablett sold for $50,000 in 2022.
Not everything was universally loved. Debates over print runs, both too many and too few depending on who you ask, have been part of the hobby conversation for years, as the comments above show. But for more than three decades, Select was the AFL card industry, and every modern collection owes it something.
Whatever comes next, the Select era is now a closed chapter. That makes every Select AFL card, from the 1990s commons to the final Eminence release, part of a complete, finite run.
