Whoa Whoa Whoa... Rainbow Unicorns?

While making our regular rounds through social media we stumbled upon a bright and colorful shirt design by recent Business Spotlight participant Skadi Soccer. Of course, in an era of so many fun and imaginative soccer shirt designs we weren’t sure that it was… real. So we reached out, low and behold, the Rainbow Unicorns are in fact a real soccer club - and an absolute blast to be a part of! Anthony Melo answered the call to tell us more…

Who are Rainbow Unicorns and how did they get started? Where did the name come from?

The Rainbow Unicorns are a rec league team from Nashville, TN. Some of us had played in a men's league together and we really hated that macho, hyper-competitive environment (no shade to the guys we played alongside, y'all were great!), so we got the idea to include a bunch more of our friends and create our own co-ed team. It was during this discussion that our name was created, and the idea was really just to have something silly and bright, something that you couldn't take seriously. We knew we weren't going to take ourselves too seriously, so the name reflected that silliness that we wanted to bring to the field. 

Rec soccer is fun for everyone - no need to take it too serious!

What league do you play in and do you have any plans to expand or grow the team? Or is it just for fun?

We currently play in Mid State Sports Leagues, which hosts many different recreation level sports. We don't really plan on expanding the team at all, this is a great thing we've got going with friends and that's what matters most.

Is the shirt design recently shared by Skadi something that's in the works? Had you considered making a few extra to see if they'd sell? 

The shirt design from Skadi is legitimate, and really incredible. It's funny how that happened, because we took this idea of a team that didn't take itself seriously on the pitch and said "what if we projected that with an Instagram?" Well that made its way around some folks we knew from supporting Nashville SC, and I guess Antony saw it too. He knew some of us from when he came down to watch Nashville in USL, and he reached out and asked if we wanted to work on a kit together. At the time we were actually looking for new shirts, because the t-shirts we are currently using are starting to get a little funky, and he really knocked it out of the park. I'm thrilled with the end result, he's got such a wonderful eye for color and a forward thinking that lends itself well to designing kits. There are no current plans to sell to the public, but it's not something we've ruled out entirely.

Where can people follow your club and what are you guys up to next?

Y'all can follow us on Instagram at @rainbowunicorns615 and on Twitter at @615Rainbow for all of your low-effort memery and self-deprecating humor needs. Right now we're patiently waiting for conditions to improve in order to safely keep on getting beat up by better teams, and you can bet we'll do it with a smile

Business Spotlight: Skadi Soccer

With no soccer happening at any level right now, we wanted to shift some of our focus to the companies who help to make soccer happen during the regular times. Skadi soccer is fairly new to the grassroots scene here in the US and Canada too – this francophone entreprise de foot is looking to break into the market with original designs at respectable price points. We reached out to hear more about what their plans were before the Covid-19 shutdown and where they’re going once we’re all back online. Entrepreneur Antony de Varennes was kind enough to walk me through his plans.

When was your company founded and what gave you the impetus to get started? Is there are story behind your brand name - what does it mean?

To talk a little about my history around soccer, for the past few years I have been one of the chief editors for Culture Soccer, a French-speaking website, and I am more specifically in charge of the lower division category of the site. I officially founded Skadi Soccer a month ago. I started this project to unite my two biggest passions: Design and Soccer. Before launching my project, I was looking for a name and a logo that would make my brand unique. I also wanted a name that referred to the North, since I'm Canadian. So, I did some research in Nordic mythology and the name Skadi came up. I immediately liked the name and it referred to a mountain goddess. The logo came later.

Who is your target clientele? We've seen your work with NorthPen FC, what other soccer/football clubs have you worked with?

First of all, my target clientele is the lower division clubs whether amateur or semi-pro. My main goal is that each club have the opportunity to have a unique uniform without spending huge amounts of money. Every club has the right and should wear uniforms that represent them perfectly. For now, I have collaborated with a Quebec senior team, Bandjos FC, a few clubs from the Dairy Cup in Utah, Saratoga Springs or MOAB Nomads, and some others. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has put a little pause in the project, but my subscribers will still have content.

Skadi honing their skills by laying out an entire leagues worth of shirts!

We caught a rumor that you landed an entire league? How many sides are involved? Are you designing the kits as well as manufacturing?

First of all, I would like to make it clear that this is not a real league, but a project that I am launching in order to remain active despite the events that are taking place at the moment. So, I have started a "league" that will be based in Eastern Canada. Starting the week of March 30th, every three days, I will be announcing a club with its jersey. If the demand is strong enough, some may eventually be produced. 

Do you help produce or design any other products? If not, do you have it on your radar to add a few things to your catalog?

At the moment I'm only making uniforms, but I'm open to anything depending on club demand. It will be possible in the future to produce everything a club needs in terms of sportswear like joggings, jackets, hoodies and more. 

Complete kits recently designed for new Washingtonian side NorthPen FC.

Where do you see Skadi in a few years? What will be the sign that you've "made it?" 

In a few years, I see Skadi Soccer helping several amateur or semi-pro clubs. Whether in Canada or in the USA, I want my brand to be more and more present. However, I would also like to break into the professional world if the opportunities allow me to do so. So, I think the sign that I've "made it" will be if an American or Canadian club of 2nd or 3rd division approaches me or agrees to work with me. Even though I'm mainly targeting amateurs and semi-professionals, collaborating with a big club would be a great accomplishment.

How can interested clubs or owners contact you? Do you have an online catalog to look through?

The best way to contact me is by email at skadisoccer@gmail.com . Otherwise I am available at any time on my social networks, i.e. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@SkadiSoccer). Also, it will be soon possible to contact me and see my catalog via my website, but it is currently being developed.