sportstyle

56 • November 2021 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com • TEAM: SPECIALTY SPORTS Soccer Kicks In At the high school level, soccer continues to rise in popularity. According to the latest figures from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), girls' soccer is the fourth most popular sport in terms of participation (behind track and field, vol- leyball and basketball), while boys' soccer is the fifth most popular high school sport in the U.S., behind only tackle football, track and field, basketball and baseball. In Wellington, FL, last year's COVID-19 pandemic was the main reason why the local recreational soccer league downsized from 7-a-side to 3-a-side. The pandemic directly impacted the number of registered players, which of course also negatively impacted local sales of shorts, shirts, socks, shinguards, balls, cleats and mesh kits bags for Scotty's Sports Shop in Wellington. Now this fall, the recreational league in the town is back playing 7-a-side matches, which means local soccer sales are returning to some semblance of normal for owner Jerry Steuerer. "Soccer is not a huge category for me, but I defi- nitely felt the side effects to sales last fall and this past spring," says Steuerer. In New England, Betsy Frey, owner of Frey's Sporting Goods, is busy selling soccer throughout the year, especially in the fall and spring. "Soccer is a good sport for me," she says. Most of Frey's soccer sales are to younger children in rec leagues, though she does have a strong local high school business. "For youth leagues, I supply the team T-shirt, socks, shin guards, soccer balls, nets and cleats," says Frey. "For little kids who need cleats, they walk into the store with their parents, they try on a pair of shoes and then I let them run on the carpet, which takes them to the front door and back, to see if the shoes fit." As young soccer players turn into teenagers, they tend to go elsewhere to buy their soccer cleats. "When the players get old enough to make deci- sions on style and color, I send them somewhere else to buy their cleats," says Frey. "I don't deal with high-end cleats." In Manlius, NY, located just east of Syracuse, Scholastic Sports Sales caters mostly to high school soccer teams. According to president Justin Miller, the team dealer sells uniforms, soccer goals, corner flags, shinguards, sideline shelters and many, many pairs of soccer socks. "We sell lots of Under Armour soccer socks," he says. In Terre Haute, IN, virtually every soccer customer and team gets what they need from Coaches Corner. According to manager Doc Claussen, he personally SPECIAL TIMES EVEN WITH THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC– OR MAYBE BECAUSE OF IT – SPECIALTY SPORTS ARE THRIVING. BY MIKE MAY W hile nearly every sporting goods team dealer and local retailer understandably dedicates the majority of their time to the Big Four – football, basketball, baseball and softball – that generate the most revenue, they are well aware that the so-called "specialty sports" deserve a fair amount of time and sales attention, as well. Because if dealers don't give sports such as soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, cheer and track and field – and even rugby – the amount of time that they deserve, they are losing out on a loyal, growing and committed customer. It can, indeed, represent the difference between a good year and a great one. And, while these "other" sports may be classified as specialty or second tier, the rising levels of interest and participation in all of them are beginning to rival the major sports. Leading the way in this growth are soccer, once the ultimate specialty sport that now has to be almost considered one of the Big Five, and volleyball, especially at the club level.

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