Team Insight

SanMar and Allmade Partner In Apparel With an eye on servicing increasingly eco-conscious young athletes, SanMar is partnering with Allmade to be the exclusive supplier of Allmade's ethically and environmentally conscious blank apparel to the promo- tional apparel and imprinted sportswear industries. Founded "by screenprint- ers for screenprinters," Allmade is "an impact-driven company that is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and to reducing our indus- try's impact on the environ- ment while also making exceptional shirts that are great to wear and print on." Allmade's soft, tri-blend tees are crafted using three sustainable fibers: 50 percent recycled polyester, 25 percent U.S.-grown organic cotton and 25 percent Tencel Modal. The recycled polyester in each T-shirt helps prevent an equiv- alent of up to six bottles from ending up in a landfill. SanMar is now selling six adult styles in nine colors and one youth style in eight colors. Field Hockey Eyewear Rule Altered In response to longstand- ing concerns regarding the wearing of goggles in high school field hockey, the NFHS Board of Directors recently approved a change in the eyewear rule that will take effect with the upcom- ing 2020 season. The rule, which currently states that "All field players shall wear eye protection that met the ASTM standard for field hockey at the time of manu- facture," will now state that "Goggles may be worn by all field hockey players." In addition to the current rule, an additional note was due to take effect in 2020 as follows: "Beginning in the 2020 fall season, all eye protection shall be permanently labeled with the ASTM 2713 standard for field hockey at the time of manufacture." While there is a required ASTM standard for field hockey goggles, there is no NOCSAE standard. The ASTM 2713 standard is not protec- tive against a direct ball to the eye in testing. NOCSAE will not certify any facial/eye pro- tection unless it is integrated into a helmet. One of the ongoing con- cerns has been that ASTM- certified goggles are not available for all field players, notably those who wear corrective lenses. Since the current rule cannot be met by individuals with glasses, state associations have been issuing waivers for students with corrective lenses to allow participation. Four States Add Girls' Wrestling Four states – Arizona, Florida, Illinois and South Dakota – are adding girls' wrestling to their high school sports lineups. This brings the total number of states to sanction girls' high school wrestling to 26. Each is approaching the addition of the sport in a slightly dif- ferent manner. Arizona's girls will compete in a separate division in the 2020-21 school year for a team crown. Individual state medals were awarded to girls in 2019 and 2020. Florida will start girls' wres- tling in the 2021-22 school year so all financial and scheduling aspects can be addressed. The state had an unsanctioned championship event in 2020. Illinois will also begin girls' wrestling in 2021-22 so it can determine how its state series will fit within the current wres- tling state series structure. South Dakota will also begin girls' wrestling with the 2020-21 season. There will be one classification (boys' wrestling has two) and four weight classes. Obit: Dick Lipsey, 89 Dick Lipsey, who was a major figure in research and history of the sporting goods industry, passed away on May 15 at age 89. Lipsey underwent bypass surgery for a heart attack and was set to return home when he contracted COVID-19. Lipsey helped develop the NSGA Sports Participation in the U.S. study that continues to be the industry standard. He also collaborated with former NSGA Research Direc- tor Tom Doyle on a book, "The Sporting Goods Industry: History, Practices and Prod- ucts," that was published in 2006 and provided a valuable examination of the sporting goods industry for profession- als and students. n COINCIDING WITH PROFESSIONAL AND YOUTH soccer returning to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, SFIA recently released its annual soccer participation report, which found soccer participation in the United States increased in 2019 after four straight years of decline. In addition, 2019 marked the first time "core" participation for soccer has increased (1.5 percent) since 2010. After the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, participation was dwindling. However, in 2019 not only were more Americans playing soccer, but participation numbers increased by 4.5 percent in just one year, which is a significant increase for the third most-popular sport in the U.S. Among the highlights of the report: • There are 11.9 million outdoor soccer participants in the U.S. • There are five million core soccer participants. • 63.1 percent of all soccer players and 56.4 percent of core participants are male. • 71.7 percent of all soccer participants and 82.4 percent of core participants are between ages of six and 24. • 41.5 percent of female soccer players are between the ages of six and 12. • 52.6 percent of all soccer participants have a household income of over $75,000 per year. • 25 percent outdoor soccer players also play indoor soccer. • There are 4.5 million children between the ages of 6-12 playing soccer. • There are 2.4 million soccer participants between the ages of 13-17. n END ZONE 46 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020 teaminsightmag.com Soccer Participation on the Rise In U.S., Pre-COVID

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