Founded in 2016 by Josh Goss, Arik Housley, Jonathan Collura, and Michael Hitchcock, Napa Valley 1839 FC began play in 2017 outfitted in kits by Adidas. Then then moved to Stimulus in 2018 and this year, the club was wearing custom kits made by FBT, or Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Co, Ltd. The new shirts are absolutely stunning so we reached out to Napa to get the story on their threads—Daniel Morales, their marketing and social media contact answered our emails.

First Adidas and then Stimulus, now FBT - what led you away from the big-name kit supplier and into the realm of custom design? FBT is not a well-known brand in the US, why did you go with them?

It’s been three different kit brands we’ve worn. As you mentioned we started with Adidas. Ownership decided for such brand to keep the consistency between Napa Valley 1839 FC and our youth development club Napa United. This consistency continued with Stimulus and our Napa United 1839 Academy teams. Stimulus allowed us to design what we wanted and not go with generic designs that top brands offer.

The two tones of green make the new shirts by Thai manufacturer FBT really pop on the pitch (Photo: Don Lex)

This year's shirt is phenomenal, does the design come from within the club or do you let FBT know what you're looking for and they come up with something? What's the story of Napa 1839's aesthetic? Who designed the badge, what are the meaningful elements and why are the vivid colors such an important part of your branding?

One of our part owners, Joshua Goss is a big fan of jersey designs. He wanted even more creative freedom and FBT offered that to us. Mr. Goss wanted our kit to represent the Napa Valley, just like our crest. And indeed, it does, Chris Payne is not only the designer of the 1839 FC crest but also our current jerseys. Chris did in amazing job in bringing the Napa Valley vineyards to life in our kits. You see two tones of green and the patterns vineyards take all over our Valley.

We love our kit! By far we all agree that the 2019 kit designed by Chris Payne is our favorite out of the three so far. It represents our Valley very well and pays honor to all those who work very hard to maintain the vineyards looking beautiful. If it wasn’t for them, perhaps this jersey wouldn’t exist today. Our away kits have the same design but in all burgundy to represent the red wines.

The kids of Napa United, their affiliated youth soccer organization, look great in green (Photo: Don Lex)

What are some other clubs from around NPSL, UPSL or other leagues, whose kit YOU love? Does seeing other clubs rock unique shirts inspire you to do something even more special with Napa 1839's?

I’d have to say that I am also a big fan of the FC Davis kits, it’s a very unique design that I haven’t seen anything similar anywhere else.

The new Oakland Roots kits are also very nice, it’s simple but very clean and the numbers have that wonderful vibrant design.

Some clubs have found ways to get their shirts on consignment into local retail shops - it’s a clever way to sell a shirt when it’s not matchday. Do you have any arrangements like this? How can fans and kitnerds get their hands on your shirts and other gear?

Our kits at the moment are only sold online and at our home matches. We had not discussed with any merchants about selling our products.

The kits are only available on matchdays and online

For more information, or to pick up a kit from Napa Valley 1839 FC.

- Joshua Duder

Founders Cup is right around the corner, and boy is everyone excited. Sure the NPSL professional division doesn’t have the D3 sanctioning like some other leagues, but NPSL has the heart of a true soccer league. That heart and ethos is something that the entire soccer community is craving. So, for this week’s Uniformity I take a kit from each club and rank them making my top eleven.

11. Oakland Roots Sports Club

This was an easy last place, because let’s be fair, the Roots don’t have a kit yet. Now I can imagine that if I were to revisit this segment during the season, the Roots would be challenging the top clubs. Branding and Oakland Roots SC have had a unique relationship that continues to evolve, and if you haven’t already check out my piece I wrote a few weeks back: Organic and Raw.

10. CAL FOOTBALL CLUB

While Cal FC will be a force on the field, the club’s kits lack any sort of fashionable elements. Clubs from Southern California should strive to have some of the best merchandise, because so much fashion and personality comes from the region. Every grassroot club may not have the ambition to grow its brand with fashion, but if Cal FC does intend to create a customized kit it will most likely reflect the very fashionable state that the club represents.

9. ALBION SOCCER CLUB SAN DIEGO

ASC San Diego has fielded a variety of jerseys, but the one that I like most is the blue and white hoops. A very traditional design that pops, because of the bright hue of the blue. I believe the this kit is an older variant, but it definitely sticks out, especially with the hoops on the socks.

8. MILWAUKEE TORRENT

Half baby blue and half grey, this kit is one of the more unique fashion statements in grassroots soccer. Two elements that fit very well on the jersey is the all white logo, that takes up the entire stomach and the alternate sleeve colors.

7. FOOTBALL CLUB ARIZONA

Yellow on a jersey is meant to be bold and stand out, a fitting style for FC Arizona. The chest is covered in a yellow block, that slowly cascades into smaller and smaller hoops, eventually becoming navy blue. The FC Arizona style of play will fascinate the audience and it will always be easy to stop the players on the pitch.

6. DETROIT CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

DCFC’s rouge color palette mixed with the gold accents, make one luxurious kit. Alternating red stripes gives the perfect canvas to showcase the jersey sponsor, club crest and kit manufacturer, but it is really those accents that just create an overall piece that locks into the clubs branding. Detroit City also carries a few alternates, like the all white with a maroon polo collar.

5. NAPA VALLEY 1839 FOOTBALL CLUB

I love a green kit and this one uses a monochromatic color scheme that just looks slick. Napa Valley’s crest has always been highly rated by those within Protagonist and this one jersey does not disappoint. The abstract design that uses the bright green and forest green steers away from a traditional stripes, like in the Detroit City jersey. The unique style makes the 1839 kit the best in the West.

4. CHATTANOOGA FOOTBALL CLUB

The people’s club offers a perfect design that makes the thousands of fans and owners look good. The navy blue base is trimmed with baby blue to make a clean look that can fit any outfit. But what makes this kit stand out is the soccer ball outline, comprised of thick hash marks, that is located in the club’s crest. Even the round Volkswagen logo just fits perfectly on the front of the jersey.

3. NEW YORK COSMOS

Another club that is known for its iconic green jersey, but that is not the kit that gets them ranked in third place. One of the cleanest looking kits in the Founders Cup is the all navy blue base with the cascading green stippling down the chest. On top of that sweet color combination is the sharpest sleeve trim I have ever seen on a jersey. The trim is made up of the three iconic colors in the Cosmos crest: baby blue, yellow and green.

2. MIAMI UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

The Miami United kit is one of my favorite pieces in grassroot soccer. My first ever Uniformity article was about Miami United FC. What stands out about this piece is how many unique elements lie within the kit. There are multicolored hoops, various hoop sizes, gold accents and a strong black background that helps each element pop off of the kit. The club could wear these kits for a decade and the look would never get old.

1. MIAMI FOOTBALL CLUB

Ranking in the top spot is Miami FC. The bright Miami color palette just stands out among any jersey in existence and while the club has multiple stylish jerseys, the best looking one is the pastel light blue polo with the orange sleeve. First a polo collar is the best look you can get on a jersey, it's what separates a soccer kit from all of the other sloppy sports jerseys. Second, the color combination is vibrant and reflects the community that it comes from. It is a perfect example of the art and fashion background of Miami.

Image courtesy of footballshirtculture.com.

As we get closer and closer to the kickoff of Founders Cup, I expect clubs to create new kits for their players and fans to wear. And by that time I hope that the West Region can produce more artistic kits that really show off the powerful brands they represent. But until that day, the East Region’s brands will reign supreme.

- Steven Ramirez

Napa Valley 1839 FC’s 2019 Home Shirt

Ranking the Kits of Founders Cup Clubs