Team Insight

TEAM SOCCER that Messi would be playing in my backyard, I would've bet my house on product and it would've been worth every penny. As it stands now, I've been out of original Messi product for four months — but so has everyone else." For a few dealers, such as DuPree Sports & Screen Printing in Stillwater, OK, things are back to normal. "We have no supply issues of late," exclaims Derek Sinclair, team sales manager. THE SECOND HALF Participation ere is no question that dealers are seeing the most growth from the youth segment. "Participation increases have come from younger age groups because more kids are playing at a younger age," says DMK Sports' Falcone Jr. "But around here, participation is decreasing among older kids in middle school and high school. e travel team and club businesses are the strongest for us and custom apparel is also growing." Down South, where the weather is balmy and quality of life is high, "participation is up significantly because people are moving to the South," observes Walter, at Lloyd's Soccer. "World Cup 2022 also helped, as did Messi coming to the U.S." He points out that youth is the biggest part of his business and for the past two years the focus has been on rec programs and clubs. "Lots of our clubs have seen 20 to 25 percent participation growth over the past year between spring and fall and we know this because of uniform sales," says Walter. "Our biggest jump has been with 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds. is put a lot of pressure on us to get small uniform sizes — our projections weren't close to what we received in orders so we had to keep looking and reordering." He adds, "For the little kids, the cost isn't crazy, most programs run for six to eight weeks and girls benefit as much as boys. Recreational soccer grew a lot, especially in the Atlanta area and in Charleston, SC. Hopefully kids had a good time and will continue playing next spring and fall." Walter is also finding that participation growth is boosting the retail business. "ere are more players and they need more goods. Post-COVID, we're seeing more in-person shopping and our retail sales numbers are strong this year." Aubert, at Stefans Soccer, reports that Wisconsin has one of the largest youth soccer participation rates in the country and the seg- ment is still growing. "Youth and club teams are the fastest-growing parts of our business," he says. "We support players in all categories — youth, travel, clubs, schools and colleges and adult clubs." Meanwhile, in SoCal, which suffered some of the most Draconian pandemic shutdowns and mandates, soccer participation is ramping back up. "Kids and parents now feel that it's okay to go back and play and we're up one-to-two percent at the youth level," says Karsh, at California Pro Sports, who adds that high school participation is also up and schools remain the biggest part of its soccer business, while youth organized play is coming back and clubs and leagues are steady. He also notes that there's been a big influx in camps and training for ages 5-14. "e LA Galaxy puts on weekly clinics and camps that are highly regarded," he says. "is has been a big positive because the LA Galaxy is based just three miles away from us. It's good for the sport." Soccer Locker's Zighelboim is also seeing a surge in participation, primarily due to that Messi-mania. "People are coming out of the woodwork! Parents are excited and kids want to be Messi. Kids are now starting soccer as young as two-and-a-half years old — lots of little clubs are popping up everywhere." In Oklahoma, long a bastion of football, basketball and volleyball, growth in soccer is a bit more muted. Sinclair, of Dupree Sports & Screenprinting, says, "Soccer isn't huge in our area. We have a local city league with 10 teams, and we also service a local travel team and local high school teams, primarily with uniforms. We believe the category will hold steady." OVERTIME Challenges and Opportunities While dealers are fairly united in citing the broader challenges facing the soccer market, they also are working to identify and leverage opportunities unique to their locales and cli- enteles. Chief among the barriers to growth are the limited numbers of fields, coaches and officials to keep up with demand. "Getting qualified coaches is hard and there's a lack of officials to officiate games and COVID- 19 exacerbated that. Older people, generally the seasoned professionals, retired — not just in soccer but in other sports such as baseball and football," explains Karsh. Walter, at Lloyd's Soccer, agrees. "ere's a lack of field space in most communities and with the growth here there aren't enough fields to accommodate all of the clubs and teams. Many land owners can make more money by selling to developers than by devoting acres to playing fields." Aubert, at Stefans Soccer, points out that there are still cost barriers for lower-income families — and this a nationwide issue. Other challenges for retailers and dealers include competing with brands that are emphasizing 25 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2023 teaminsightmag.com Photo: fotokostic/istock There is no question that dealers are seeing the most growth from the youth segment.

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