Business Spotlight: Calyx Design

With a few lower league badges under his belt, Richard Miller of Calyx Design has quickly become a highly admired engineer of soccer design. We continue our series of Business Spotlights by asking him where he started and to see if there is a limit on what Calyx can do - spoilers… I’m not sure there is.

When did you launch Calyx as a business and where does the name come from?

I started Calyx Design back in 1997, after about seven years as designer/art director for a small San Francisco design shop. I’d reached the point in my professional development that it was probably well past time to strike out on my own. My employer caught wind of my plans to do just that, and fired me on the spot. It was exactly the push I needed, and I’ve never looked back.

The business name is a Latin term for the outer part of a flower, the usually-green whorl just outside the petals. In some flowers (such the clematis featured in my logo), though, it’s the part that puts on the brightly colored show.  I do love gardening and growing things, but the real reason I picked the name was that I loved the word.

Crests designed by Calyx are more than cut & paste shields or roundels, each one tells a regional or club-specific narrative.

Looking at your website, Calyx has done an amazing job on projects for all sorts of businesses, when did your interest in soccer and design begin to intersect?

I fell in love with soccer shortly after moving to Portland, Oregon in 2008. I was convinced by a good friend to become a season ticket holder for the Timbers’ inaugural MLS season (2011), and have stood in the North End in the Timbers Army for nearly every home match since.  

Early on I became involved with a small tifo crew (PTFC Moderates), and began pouring my spare time into matchday banners and 2-sticks. It wasn’t long before that work led to being noticed by folks in the regional soccer world, and to being recognized as a professional who could help with real-world soccer projects.

Do you have favorite projects - if so, which ones did you get really excited to be working on?

Soccer-wise, I’ve honestly fallen in love with every club I’ve worked with, and become personally invested in their success. It may seem like a cliche, but it’s a fact. I’m certain that my ability to identify with clients is a large part of the secret of my success.

From window treatments to book covers, menu and table cards to gigantic vehicle advertisements, Calyx can take your idea and not only help you create an identity, but help you apply it professionally in ways you might not have thought possible.

We've seen your work with grassroots soccer clubs Alta California Sol, AC Chehalem Valley, PDX FC, and Santa Maria Synergy. While some clubs in soccer have nice logos, yours are a little extra special - what's your process like? What makes your work so unique and attractive?

Crest development (any logo work, really) is all about listening. I believe that the most successful crests elicit strong emotion in their bearers, and I want the clubs I work with to fall in love with theirs.  Listening closely and reflecting the club back at itself is the only reliable way to make that happen.  

I listen to the club and its stakeholders. I learn what makes it special, what its values are, and how it connects to the community. And lest this seem too ethereal, working through this process plants both conceptual and visual ideas in me, evokes symbols, determines font choices, color palettes and all sorts of the minuscule details that add up to make a crest special..

And of course the process has to be collaborative.. After the learning phase, I come back to the club with a set of 3–5 tight sketches – often more since I can’t help myself. We go over these, identify which elements resonate and which aren’t clicking as well, and then I come back with revisions. We continue this process of sculpting until we’ve arrived at something we’ve all fallen in love with..

Are there any clubs we missed and are there teams out there you really wish would reach out to you, if not for the money, but simply to make something beautiful? Willing to say which ones you wish would call you?

I love working with lower league clubs. My ideal client is one with aspirations to elevating their club above the competition, while creating a real sense of local connection and community. 

I’ve also worked with The Portland Timbers u23s and with the American Outlaws (US National Team supporters group) to develop scarves, patches, and other merch.

Scarves, patches, animated gifs; working with Calyx can help you elevate the aesthetic of your organization and make it look top-level.

But  you don't stop at making a nice crest do you? What other renderings and files can you make that really add a ton of value to your work with clubs?

Along with the crest, even my most basic branding offering includes social media cover and profile graphics, secondary logos and wordmarks, branded textures/patterns, and a book of brand standards listing color codes, crest usage guidelines, fonts, and a guide to the set of online/print-ready digital files I’ve supplied.

Ideally, though, I get to take things further, with social media graphics (animated and otherwise), merchandise such as scarves (so many scarves!), website development, kit consultation, and so on.

Anything you're working on that is new to you? A new product or service you can offer? What's next for Calyx Design?

Let’s see…. I’ve been gradually developing my animation chops (as seen in motion graphics for PDXFC and AC Chehalem Valley), but that’s a work in process. 

I’ve recently begun to develop a line of merchandise that I sell under the name of CalyxWorks. In some ways, this is an outgrowth of my work with the tifo crew (you’ll see t-shirts that began life as rail banners), but it also allows me to share new and varied design inspirations directly with a larger public. I’ve even added a mailing list where folks can be notified when a new design drops!. 

Generally speaking, though, my wheelhouse is anything that falls under the rubric of Visual Branding for small businesses … especially soccer.

To check out everything Calyx has to offer and to get in touch: https://calyxdesign.com/

Business Spotlight: Unozero

With so many boot options for players, fans, and coaches, we often reach for the name brands we know and are familiar with. However, Venezuela-born owner of UNOZERO, Sam Garzon, was kind enough to answer a few questions about these top-quality soccer cleats that his company makes. We continue our Business Spotlight with UNOZERO:

What inspired the founding of UNOZERO and does the name have a specific meaning?
UNOZERO comes from a personal need. The need to connect with a true soccer-centric brand, one that only produces top-tier product for the serious footballer. There was nothing like it in the market before UNOZERO.

Regarding our name, UNOZERO comes from the number worn by the all-time greats, the mythical #10. The vision was to create the best performing boot, with the highest quality materials, made by the best shoemakers in the industry, in order to create a boot worthy of the great players that have sported the number.

Your design aesthetic is breathtaking, what informs the decision to use the natural materials and classic design we see instead of the flashy modern looks and synthetic materials?
Thank you for the compliment…we agree with you (laughs)

UNOZERO cleats are designed to provide optimum fit, while at the same time provide comfort and protection. When it comes to getting a ‘custom’ fit, leather and knit are the best materials. However, knit does not provide good protection as the material is too fragile. Leather, on the other hand, does provide that protection while molding to the foot for that custom-like fit.

When it comes to our design, a number of years ago I needed to buy a pair of cleats, and when I got to the store, I found I had two color options: neon green or bright red. If I wanted a more serious colorway, I would have to settle for a boot designed (and not updated) since the 80’s. I could not believe there were no options for the serious footballer. Either you get a modern performance boot and look like an 8 year old, or, you get a more serious looking boot but have to put up with an outdated technical design. That’s when I realized there was an opportunity to create something special, something different. An elegant and modern performance boot.

Our design pays homage to the more traditional boot, while at the same time contains modern accents, like the bronze elements across the mid-foot and counter. We use a modern sole-plate that provides great traction and rotation, as well as, use a mid-sole to reduce stud pressure and increase comfort.

We have truly created a ‘modern classic’ designed for today’s level of play. 

Our readership is primarily players, coaches, owners and fans of lower league US soccer; who is your target demographic - what type of soccer person are you trying to appeal to?
Our target is the serious footballer. A serious footballer is someone that plays, loves, and understands the beautiful game, and we find that these traits run across all demographics. That is why we find high school, college, amateur, semi-pro, and pro players alike wearing UNOZEROs. We cater to the true footballer. 

Each boot is hand-crafted from Kangaroo Leather by artisans in Northern Italy

We've seen your affiliation with UPSL soccer, so we know you're aware of footy at this level here - can you tell us more about how that relationship with UPSL came about and do you have anything similar planned going forward?
It is critical to support the development of the beautiful game from the ground up. Especially during these challenging times, where we have seen fundamental institutions like the national soccer youth federation fold. It is important for us to do what we can to support the continuous growth of the sport in the country. We are always looking for ways to help.

Your product line seems spartan, with just the one boot in either black or white - are there any additional boots in development; perhaps a flat for indoor or futsal players? What's next for UNOZERO?
Great question. In short, yes, we always spend time in the drawing board developing new models. In fact, we have plans to release a new model this summer. As we continue to grow, we will include other surfaces into our portfolio. We are very thoughtful on everything we do, that is why we do not pump out product every three weeks like other brands. Others play what I like to call the ‘flavor of the month’ game. We have a more meticulous approach.

UNOZERO makes honest, high quality products, and shy away from the ‘mega speed, lethal power’ gimmicks. UNOZERO is a football brand for those seeking a higher quality boot that allows them to perform at their true peak level, with no gimmicks, no compromises. This will always be true to UNOZERO, and that sets us apart.

To get yourself into a pair of UNOZERO: https://unozero.com/

Business Spotlight: Stimulus Athletic

For 12 years, Geison Moura led the line with at least 146 appearances and 89 goals, for clubs all around the world. Starting in Brazil at Esporte Club Bahia and making stops in Singapore, New Jersey, Ft. Lauderdale and Minnesota - Geison led the life a professional footballer and knows what players and clubs need to look good and feel good. His company, Stimulus Athletic, is now one of the leaders in customized sports apparel and is our Business Spotlight of the week…

Everyone loves a good origin story; can you tell me why you wanted to start Stimulus Athletic and how that came about?  

Back in my playing times, I was always very active in the community coaching camps and doing team appearances and I remember hearing from coaches how they always struggled with uniform providers. So, I decided that the day that I retire from playing I was going to create a brand that would offer easy to order high-quality custom uniforms at affordable prices. And that's what we did! 

An interesting story about my first order. From the get-go giving back has been at the core of who we are and what we do. So, before I had made any sale, I went to a local store, bought 400 dollars’ worth of sports equipment, and took it to a very underprivileged community in Brazil (where I was born). I ran a full-day of soccer camp and distributed the equipment as our first give-back initiative. Then when I got back to the house, I had a message from a very close friend saying that the school he coaches for had approved him to buy their uniforms from Stimulus. It was our very first order! We didn't have our factory fully lined up yet. I have jerseys coming from one place shorts from another place it was crazy. But we managed to deliver all the uniforms. Fast forward to today we have provided uniforms for thousands of athletes and had the privilege of helping a lot of people along the way. 

Geison has made it a point to Give Back to his home country of Brazil, where he distributes soccer equipment and hosts soccer camps for underprivileged children.

I'm most familiar with your work for MPLS City, what are a few of your favorite shirts you've done for them and what other clubs have you worked with? 

My favorite designs from MPLS City are always their latest. Their ability to show who they are where they’re from and what they stand for through their amazing designs it’s unbelievable. We are really lucky to work with them.

What aspects of style and design influence your work? While some clients may have some creative ideas of their own, how often do teams say "I dunno, what do you think would look cool?"

We have a very creative designer that has implemented a great process to help clients formulate their unique designs. 

From MPLS soccer kits to warm-ups for Karen Football Association, Stimulus provides a large selection of apparel for customization.

Do you cold-call soccer clubs to see if they need a shirt done, or do they come to you? What has been the most effective way of generating new clients?

Most of our clients have come to us from word of mouth.  

Aside from shirts, what other articles of apparel do you produce? Do you make items outside of the soccer world?

Aside from game uniforms (jerseys, shorts, and socks), customers can choose from a variety of custom products such as jackets, hoodies, pants, backpacks, and more. My background is soccer and that's the reason I got into this business, so naturally, most of our clients are soccer clubs. However, we have been growing in other sports as well including Basketball, Baseball, and Ultimate Frisbee.

What is Stimulus up to next – are there any innovations we have to look forward to?

We are currently working really hard to develop one of the most innovative kit designers. Our easy to use platform will allow customers to create stunning uniforms exactly the way they want. By adding as many logos as they wish and choosing from a huge variety of cool patterns, styles, and colors, our kit designer will make any team look like pros! 

No more emailing that one guy you know who can do 3D .ai renderings - you can do this on your own!

To check out more gear from Stimulus or to get a quote for your club, check them out here: https://www.stimulusathletic.com/

Business Spotlight: Legend Soccer Co.

Our Business Spotlight series continues as we reach out to the businesses which not only work with lower league soccer in the United States, but also continue to think outside of the box and develop undeniably unique products. We first came across Legend Soccer Co. when they were posting videos of seemingly indestructible bamboo shin guards back in 2017 (link to video at the bottom). We wanted to let them tell us more about the product so we reached out to co-founder and former soccer player himself, Sean Person.

Who started Legend Soccer Co and why? What's the mission of the business?  

Roland Benedict and I started Legend, with a goal to bring new ideas and innovation to the game, while injecting principles of sustainability and social responsibility. We both played our entire lives and eventually into higher levels of the game. We noticed that the products surrounding the game hadn’t changed that much and didn’t represent the game that well. A majority of the largest brands outsource all production overseas to capture cheap labor and increased margins. I could go on-and-on downside of production of products in the 3rd world, but simply put, we take pride in supporting the manufacturing industry in the USA.   Mission: Legend Soccer Co. is a soccer specific company, whose goal is to progress the game through high-quality, innovative, & eco-friendly products.

The shin guards in different phases of production, from parts to assembled and packaged

Your product is simply stunning and has been seen all over the place, including the pages of Howler Magazine; what are the shin guards made out of and how long do they last?
Our shin guards are made from bamboo and are guaranteed for a lifetime. We pride ourselves on making a quality, eco-friendly product, which are manufactured in the USA.

A player could go to Amazon and pick up a pair of shin guards for under $10 - tell us why somebody should spend a little more and get your product?
There’s a lot of shin guard choices out there, but ours are one-of-a-kind. In addition to all of the sustainability characteristics, bamboo is simply a better material to make a shin guard. They’re lightweight, ridiculously strong, odorless, and has a patented tear-drop design, which helps keep the shin guards in place during the game. On top of that, we can customize a player’s guards with any design. Player’s enjoy a lifetime product, which represents their time with the game. It acts as a functional memento, which they’ll have forever. It’s a real pleasure hearing stories of players putting them on and the whole team being jealous. They’re so unique, you can’t help but to check them out.

Lastly, there’s been an estimated 200 million pounds of plastic shin guards produced in the last 40 years. With so many negative effects of plastic production, we hope soccer players will see the benefit in supporting our product.

Various clubs from around the world have had their badges carved into these wooden gems, which are nearly indestructible and ecologically responsible

Legend Soccer Co has worked with a ton of teams and players at this point; are you able to name some of your favorite designs and maybe most famous clubs or players you've made custom gear for? 
We have pro players around the world wearing them, but our recent partnership with the Forest Green Rovers, in the UK, was a special one for us. We recently teamed up with FGR to help them continue the reign as being the world’s most sustainable football club. Every new player gets welcomed to the club with a fresh set of customized shin pads. We’re excited to see football start-up again and follow the excitement around the innovative club.

Not that we don't adore the shin guards, but are there any other products in Legend Soccer Co.'s future? Has any thought been given to making bamboo screw in studs or teaming up with a glove company and creating bamboo inserts to protect goalies’ fingers? 
Those are good ideas and yes, we have more products to come! They don’t necessarily involve more uses of bamboo, but all are specifically designed for the needs of a soccer player and always have sustainability and socially responsible foundation to them. The innovations in the next products are really exciting and we can’t wait to share them. More to come!!

For the most part, you’ll have to order your pair online, but Legend’s shin guards can be found in select soccer boutiques (Photo: Possession FC in Portland, OR)

Check out Legend Soccer Co. and order a pair, here: http://www.legendsoccer.com/

Legend’s strength test video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6os7DOZ85s

Business Spotlight: Ruffneck Scarves

A staple of the soccer supporter’s scene is undeniably a soccer scarf – every team in every clime offers some version of the iconic footy apparel and we wanted to find out more about one of the most widely used companies in US Soccer. From MLS and USL to NPSL and WPSL, if you love soccer, you are just a few degrees of separation from a Ruffneck-made scarf. Continuing our Business Spotlight series, we reached out to founder Jeff McIntyre to find out more about his brand and its connection to soccer at all levels.

Tell us how and why Ruffneck Scarves got started - what was the original mission and is that still the same?

We originally started Ruffneck back in 2007 because we were collecting scarves from around the world and couldn't find any options available to us in the U.S. We put up a little retail site online selling a few collections of scarves and then started working with a few local Seattle groups that were interested in making custom scarves. The mission was simple at first, sell hard to find scarves online, but it quickly shifted into creating a brand for proper custom scarves we could provide to supporters to help spread the love we had for the game across America.

Ruffneck has worked with some of the largest soccer brands in the US - but what are some of your favorite non-MLS scarves you've seen come through production?

We've really been fortunate to work with some great organizations at all levels of soccer as well as other sports and industries. Some of my favorite designs are on scarves we've worked with supporters’ groups on. American Outlaws chapters, our own local Emerald City Supporters and USL supporters really get creative and clever with their scarves.

Based in Washington State, Ruffneck has started off working with local clubs, supporters’ groups, and schools.

What do prospective clients need to submit in order to get a custom scarf made? I'm sure most folks have an idea of how they want their scarves to look, but do you have in-house design just in case the client is not design savvy?

Really, all we need from a group looking for custom scarves is an idea of what they're looking for and how they plan to use their scarves. Our internal creative team has been coming up with designs for many years and is able to help the customers design what they envision. It's not to say that if a customer comes to us with a design they want to use, we won't create it... In fact, we encourage our customers to be involved in the design process. 

There are a few industry competitors, sure they also make scarves, but what sets you apart? Also, tell us about the fundraiser aspect of your business - how did that come about?

Like every industry there will always be competition. We have had several small companies come and go when it comes to making scarves. What sets us apart, is that we've always been committed to serving our customers best by providing a great experience and the highest quality scarves. Our ability to deliver on those things is what has led us to being the official scarf provider to the likes of MLS, USL, US Soccer, NHL and several other teams and leagues around the world.

Fundraisers came about naturally by request of our customers. We realized school, teams and charities wanted an alternative way to raise money for their organizations besides the usual chocolate bar or t-shirt promotion. It became a natural fit for those groups connected to soccer and over time the popularity has crossed over into much more than soccer and sports.

Jeff McIntyre, not only helped to start Ruffneck Scarves, he helped found both Bellingham United as well as the league they played in, EPLWA.

Traditional Jacquard Knit, HD Knit, Sublimated "Summer" Scarves and... Custom Face Masks. How long did it take for the figurative light-bulb to appear above your heads on that one? What materials are you using and how protective are your custom masks? 

We are the "scarf guys" first and foremost... that will never change. It's what we love and what we know we're the best in the world doing. We started selling the face masks recently for a few reasons... we realized there was a need for the general public for cloth face masks for basic levels of protection. Also, with the economy being shut down, we too were suffering from very little sales and had to pivot to survive this downturn. Because we are in the "textiles" business, we quickly pivoted our production to being able to make masks out of readily available materials. We have a few different styles and materials we use in these. Some are cotton and some are a poly blend. Our premium mask has Velcro straps for comfort and fit and does have multi-layers and included filter for added protection. None of our masks are medical-grade.  

When we all come back out of our homes again, and supporters’ groups or soccer clubs are looking to make new scarves, will you be fully online and capable of making orders and how do they get in touch? 

We are all looking forward to getting back to watching our favorite sport and doing our favorite activities again. I can't wait for that day, but the safety and health of our employees and customers is most important. With that being said, our production is still online and available to produce scarves just as we are producing masks at this time. If anyone is looking for scarves, masks or interested in customizing scarves or masks, all they have to do is visit RuffneckScarves.com for more info and contacts.

Business Spotlight: Ginga Sportswear, LLC

One of the things we’ve discovered while covering grassroots soccer is the amazing designers and entrepreneurs who help contribute to the colorful tapestry of the lower league aesthetic. In Protagonist Soccer’s ongoing efforts to highlight brands that are in the business of helping make soccer go in our country, we reached out to relative newcomers Ginga, who caught our eye recently with their fantastic work on the Agema FC kits. We wanted to know more about them and who else they’ve been working with – Diego Hurtago, CEO of Ginga Sportswear, LLC was kind enough to answer our call.

What got Ginga Sportsear started - who got it all going and why?

The idea of a sports clothing brand specifically soccer came years ago when I used to live in a really humble place, in the city of Bogota Colombia. We had no clothes on our birthdays, we had no clothes on Christmas so we basically always had to wear the same pair of jeans and jerseys. My mom used to have a sewing machine and she used to make babies’ clothes for a living. One day there was a piece of fabric hanging and I asked my mom if she could make me a certain type of jersey, I drew the jersey and she made it exactly like the one I pictured. From that day on I started selling jerseys and different apparel to my friends for a very good price. We always bought the fabrics that were on sale and make some sick clothing. One day we made this compression long sleeve shirts and I had so many orders my mom couldn’t handle it anymore and we had to stop because she was earning no money from making my clothes the little money I charged was for my lunch at school and some soccer cleats and stuff, have in mind that I was 13-14 years old at the time. However, I knew that I wanted to have my own clothing line, with my own name and logo, something that it had to do with my main passion, soccer. Back in the day while I was living in Colombia, I knew that dream was impossible, I grew up from a place where dreams don’t really come true unless you’re really talented or you’re really lucky. My only way out was my only real talent which is playing soccer, soccer got me out of that place and brought me to the United States. Soccer gave me a college education; it gave me many reasons to keep fighting for those dreams that at the time seemed impossible. Now that I’ve played at every level possible in this country it was time to bring that old wish back and make reality my two biggest desires which were creating my own clothing line and playing pro soccer.

Recently we’ve seen your work with Agema, what other soccer clubs have you worked with? Any teams or organizations outside of soccer?

Even though we are pretty new in the industry we have partnered with great teams and organizations some that are extremely professional such as MARYLAND BOBCATS FC who were recently crowned as UPSL NATIONAL CHAMPION, we also take pride in being an official provider for the soccer arena Colombian National team in which we worked in many events in California, we also were there with them in the 2019 Minifutbol World Cup in Australia. We work with many UPSL teams such as LOKO FC, THE PALM BEACH SPARTANS, DEPORTIVO ALACRANES, MIAMI ACES, and our most recently SPORTING CLUB VERDUGOS. Our work has cough the attention to many NPSL teams, pro soccer arena teams from the MASL and we are finalizing those as of now. Sadly, the pandemic put a pause in all our projects, but we are getting deals little by little, we know the teams that were working with us are still there, and at the right time they will become part of this great family. To keep mentioning other few teams, we have worked with ASA COLLEGE from Miami and many amateur teams from south Florida, Colorado, California, New York, some of the very known as GAM UNITED FOOTBAL CLUB and FOOTBAL CLUB DIABLOS. We also work with many other teams in Colombia. We have our own little store in Colombia. Our main focus with the company right now is soccer but we are actually developing new products for other sports at this moment.

Some clients may have a sense of what they want, while others might not be so fashion forward; do you offer in house design? If so, what inspires and informs Ginga’s design aesthetic?

Honestly, I taught myself how to design and learn everything on Illustrator, photoshop and all these programs, but I knew I had to find one person that only focused on our designs, so I could have more time and reach more people, so I stopped designing and I find a fantastic designer (another pro soccer player) that is very creative and comes up with many ideas. I think us being soccer players give us the sense and the knowledge to get on the players head and know exactly what they want. For every club that we want to work with we study the team’s culture, city, and community and we try to put that picture in the jersey. Just like you say some clubs already know what they want and we go with their guidelines and some others don’t really know and that’s when our ideas come into play. If you do not have any ideas of the design you want for your team, logo, or name we will find and create what fits the most for their organization. We can make classic designs, artistic design, crazy designs, and crazier designs. We always start between artistic and crazy. We can also make your team’s logo as we have done before or even find your own team’s identity. Even if you do not become a part of the GINGA FAMILY our motto is always for you to leave with your own identity.

Aside from shirts, do you offer any other apparel pieces or do you have plans to?

Yes, we most definitely do have an extended catalog where we offer different apparel such as training jerseys, track suits, jackets, joggers, hoodies, training bags, wind runners, polos, scarfs, and socks THE WHOLE PACKAGE. We even sell big flags for any team or supporters, many times we provide them for free with any order. We were planning on launching our online store this month, but we are going to hold for a little bit and do it at the right time. Because a lot of people have been asking how can they buy individual apparel, therefore this online store is going to be perfect for them. We will have women clothing, casual/street clothing, and much more, we are working to bring something really good. So, if you go to our website right now, don’t judge us so quickly, we are working on it and soon everyone will be able to buy different products.

What’s the future of the company - where do you see the business in five years?

I see my company growing and growing every day and that makes me extremely happy. One of the reasons we created this company was to support and give jobs to my family in Colombia because they have been around in this business for years. Watching them with a new factory and calling it our own makes me realize that I have come far but I know there is so much more that I need to keep striving for, mostly because of them back home. In 5 years, I am planning to being a well-known brand in the soccer world working in many states. Working with many pro teams here and abroad and finding a way to give back to kids like me who once had that vision and help them realize that there is something better out there and even though it’s hard you still can achieve it.

To Contact Ginga Sportswear: https://gingasportswear.wixsite.com/gingasportswear

TO check out more of their work: https://www.facebook.com/Gingazone/

Business Spotlight: Legend Sports Video

Onward with our efforts to cover the companies which make soccer happen at the lower league levels – this week we wanted to look into how players and coaches track their progress and help to move that on, visually, to bigger clubs or leagues who might be looking for that diamond in the rough. We reached out to Jeff Batt of Legend Sports Video to learn more about his business and uncover the process of displaying soccer talent.

Who started Legend Sports Video and what's the mission of the business?

I started Legend Sports Video in 2015 to try and make HD elevated game film and editing more affordable and accessible for; school and club soccer teams in all areas. Benefitting; players, parents, coaches, fans and scouts along the way. Legend Highlights have assisted players on scholarships, pro-contracts and national team call-ups. 

I met you through covering PDX FC, a lower league soccer team in Oregon, but what other teams, or sports, do you cover?

We're focusing on soccer at the moment. Video is most important in scouting soccer, because its less data driven than other sports, and more about just seeing how a player touches the ball, in a game.

What services do you provide and how far are you willing to travel to help players or teams capture the action?

We film games, distribute video online and create highlights and clips for coaching and scouting. We're willing to go anywhere to watch a good game. 

How are you getting on during the shutdown? Are there still services you can provide despite there being no live sports?

We're actually doing ok during the shutdown. While we're not filming as many games, there's a surge in demand for video editing and highlights clips production. It's a challenge to edit your own highlight video because it's time consuming and difficult to not be subjective about your performance. We've found just by editing player's DIY highlight's we can greatly increase the first impression they'll make on coaches and scouts.

Once we all get back on track, what does the future look like for Legend? If folks are interested in getting in touch, what is the best way to contact you?

The future is bright for Legend. We're in the process of planning the first ever All-State Showcase Game between Washington and Oregon. It will be streamed live online and on TV this summer. The game will focus on highlighting High School and Junior College accomplishments in the Pacific Northwest and will be a historic event. I think people will be really surprised at the quality of play on display, there is A LOT of talent in this region. There will be a breakout moment for someone, you won't want to miss it. Look for details soon on www.legendsportsvideo.com or follow us on Twitter @legendsportvid.

Best way to contact us is email jeff@legendsportsvideo.com or you can go to our website and fill out a player card or order form and we'll get in touch.

Check out all our highlight videos on Legend Sports Video - Youtube Channel. It's a great resource for coaches and scouts, looking for undervalued talent in the region. As well as young players looking to improve their understanding of the game. I always learn something new each season from these guys and gals. It's incredible to watch players grow and improve as the season goes on. I'll be sharing some more of my thoughts about this in a new series of narrated highlights, coming soon, so be sure to subscribe to our Youtube channel. 

Business Spotlight: Fly It Flags

Continuing with our look around at the companies which help grassroots soccer look good, we came across Fly It Flags – Michael Juszczak, the sales representative I’ve had the good fortune to work with on a few projects, was able to answer my questions and tell us all about the custom flag making company in our latest Business Spotlight.

When was Fly-it-Flags founded and what was the original vision of the business? What products did you start with? 

Fly-It Flags was founded in 2017. This is all started because of a men's soccer league in Buffalo called the Buffalo District Soccer League which is one of the biggest men's amateur leagues in the country with around 80 teams every year with 6 different divisions. I run a team called Pendleton United FC, and made flags for my team since we are all big soccer fans. Other teams saw the flags and majority of teams wanted flags, which was our only product at the time in any size, so I made them all flags for their teams. This made me think, if the demand for flags is so high in this, I should start a business with it. I have been growing every year, and appreciate all the support from all our customers so I can live out my dream of making this bigger every year. 

Who was the first soccer team you did personalized products for; a local youth team, a lower league soccer team, or maybe a college program? Have there been any requests which you added specifically for a soccer client? 

Continuing on from question one, the first people I made flags for was my team, Pendleton United FC, but my first big customer was the whole Buffalo District Soccer League itself. Without them and their outstanding participation, Fly-It Flags wouldn't be a thing. Some soccer clients have been really interested in the starting 11 crests you see professional teams use for their team pictures before games and soccer scarves which we have added as well. We really can accommodate anything custom, so we usually meet the demand of our customers.

I've seen a few examples of soccer jerseys made by Fly-it-Flags; do you have in-house designers or do clubs have to have an idea of what they want beforehand? Sublimation seems pretty dynamic, can interested teams approach you with any design they have in mind? 

The past two years all our jerseys have had set designs and we would print anything on the jerseys like logos, sponsors, names, and numbers anywhere on the jersey where the customer wanted. This year we added dye sublimation jerseys which allows us to fully customize any jersey with any design imaginable. We work with our customers and our design team in house to make it happen exactly how the customer envisions it. 

Nearly every soccer league in the country has been put on hold, some may not be able to buy full uniforms right now, but what other promotional, lower price-point items do you sell?

Some teams are still gearing up for the season by buying jerseys because if there is no season some of the players like to have the jersey to use in our Buffalo indoor leagues or out with friends. Some lower price items we sell are the starting 11 pennants, car flags, and any size flag.

Are there any new items you're considering? Patches, charms, labels? What do we have to look forward to from Fly-it-Flags?

I would like to enhance some of the products we can print on like metal signs which could be hung to promote something or hung inside a house or man cave. As we move forward you can expect Fly-It Flags to continue great work and meet any demand the customer is looking for product and design wise. One of our biggest assets is being able to redraw any logo. If it is bad quality, we can bring it back to life by the work of our design team which is very beneficial for social media and printing purposes. We appreciate all the support as we continue to grow!

Check out Fly-it-Flags here:  https://www.flyitflags.com/

- Joshua Duder