Team Insight

Safety, convenience and customization take the lead in the goals/nets category as 2025 nears. By Michael Jacobsen EQUIPMENT GOALS/NETS NEW GOALS FOR 2025 BISON Advice for Team Dealers: While he knows that most of its customers do this already, national sales manager Chris Livingston encourages dealers and their sales staff to ask more questions about overall needs when they get an inquiry about a single replacement product. "If a high school athletic director is asking about replacing a glass backboard, I'd suggest a new pad and rim to go with it," he advises, while also asking about the con- dition of their volleyball equipment, soccer goals and anything else related to sporting goods equipment. The Tech Story: Customization is a very high growth category for Bison as it runs five vinyl printers nine hours a day every week to keep up with demand for wall padding, scorer's tables and graphic volleyball padding. On the equipment side of things: Finding ways to make the products safer and lighter and more efficiently. New Product Focus: Bison will be getting into the baseball market in 2025, coming full circle as a baseball/soball bat caddie was one of the first products the company made 40-plus years ago. Bison will be offering a variety of items ranging from foul poles to batting cages and netting systems. TRIGON Advice for Team Dealers: It is imperative that team dealers be proactive in reaching out to their schools, churches and recre- ation departments to engage with them all year — preseason, in-season, and aer the season, stresses national sales manager Neal Halvorson. "Building the relationship so customers know the team dealer is their go-to for all things equipment will lead to increased sales," he says. The Tech Story: Portability and safety will continue to be driving factors in product development, especially as multi-use fields become the norm, Halvorson points out. In addition, ball stop systems are becoming more popular as fields are being used for multiple sports, allowing for more practice time for more teams simultaneously. New Product Focus: Trigon continues to expand its football line to include a collapsible portable kicking net. Also new: A new football passing drill net with multi-angle design. e Trigon Sports Sideline Pro Kicking Cage is designed for quick and easy setup that allows for more reps without wasting time chasing the football. CARRON NET Advice for Team Dealers: e best thing that team dealers can do to sell more nets is to be proactive in their sales approach with their customers, then have the nets available," says Russ Schirmer, director of sales. To that end, Carron Net has built up stock for its most popular American-made nets so that dealers 30 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2024 teaminsightmag.com Bison's baseball batting cages. Pickleball nets from Carron Net are in demand.

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