Team Insight

Team dealers are seeking to boost their football business by tackling lingering supply and labor issues. By Judy Leand FOOTBALL O ver the past two years, the pandemic le the entire team sports industr y reeling, but now that the virus is nally (hopefully) entering the endemic phase, football is ready to reassert its dominance and many dealers are experiencing a welcome surge in sales. If only they could be assured of delivering the product they are ordering. e downside of a post-pandemic world is that this potential growth is being tempered by a shortage of products, particularly hardgoods. In the big picture, participation numbers for tackle football (aged sic and up) have held fairly steady, according to SFIA's U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report 2021. • In 2020 there were 5.1 million tackle football participants, a minor one percent decline from 2019. • Touch football participation decreased (-6.3 percent) from 5.2 million in 2019 to 4.8 million in 2020. • However, participation in ag football in- creased 3.2 percent from 2019 (6.8 million participants) to 2020 (7 million participants). In 2021, as the pandemic impact began to ease, football participation crept upwards. e recently released SFIA Football (Tackle) Single Sport Report 2022 revealed a slight uptick of 3.4 percent in total participation from 2020 to 2021. SFIA also reported that during that same period, touch football participation rose 0.8 percent, while ag football participation dipped 1.6 percent. Although the numbers aren't stellar, they're solid enough to keep football at or near the top of the win column for dealers. High Demand, Limited Supply "e sales side is good and demand is strong coming out of COVID," reports Bob Fawley, owner of Capitol Varsity Sports in Oxford, OH. "However, there are still supply chain issues and we'll have a helmet shortage by June 1. "is year, everyone is more than willing to place helmet orders but we had to set a cuto date of April," he adds. "We've just sold more helmets than in the history of our company and people are still trying to build up their inventories following the past two years of COVID. Our advice is to get orders in sooner rather than later." Fawley isn't sure if there will be a return to normalcy for the Fall 2022 season. "Shanghai is still closed down and COVID is having its way overseas. We'll continue to have a digout for at least another cycle," he predicted last month. "But the supply issue is driving people to place orders early and we're getting some reality back into the situation." At Garretson's Sport Center in Greeley, CO, owner Todd Garretson reports that business is good, but he's also having trouble getting enough football gear. "I couldn't get everything I needed and have had to cut down and cancel orders due to lack of product," he laments. "Demand is still high, but it's hit or miss with parts and hardgoods — especially helmets and shoul- der pads." Garretson is also not optimistic that the situation will improve much in Fall 2022. "Demand is just as great and we have good trac and sales, but shoes, helmets and shoulder pads will continue to be an issue," he says. In California, where team sports were sub- ject to some of the most stringent pandemic restrictions and mandates in the country, Harbor City-based California Pro Sports faced big challenges during the 2021 football season, and Aaron Karsh, director of opera- tions, believes that the Fall 2022 season will be tricky as well. "Last season, people understood we had supply chain issues, but as a supplier it's hard for us to stomach some of the continuing excuses from manufacturers," he says. "People are hungry to buy and are excited about getting new uniforms and helmets and as a company teaminsightmag.com May/June 2022 ~ Team Insight • 13 NEW PLAYBOOK

• Cover