Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Fall 2014 - 20

Spalding's Rookie Gear line of youth-sized
basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls has been at the forefront of the
company's push to connect with
younger customers.

Berean's commitment to authentic uniforms is not limited to college basketball.
"In the fall, one of our youth soccer programs uses jerseys and team colors that
reflect an allegiance to various national
soccer teams, many of which were playing in Brazil in the World Cup," Elardo
adds. "We have a World Cup soccer atmosphere every Saturday morning in the
fall on our campus."
LOGO APPEAL
Manufacturers are changing with the
times as they offer products that meet
the needs and demands of young clients.
While there is value in having an item
adorned with a collegiate or professional
team logo, some manufacturers are creating niches in the youth market with
their own brands, logos and insignias.
"Youth apparel and hard goods are a
growing category for us," says Ben Settles, retail director, Louisville Slugger
Museum & Factory, Louisville, Ky. "Our
product assortment for youth has evolved
in recent years, from strictly price-pointdriven items to higher-end, performanceinspired apparel. Children and parents
alike are looking for items that are "DriFit" silhouettes and are field-ready - and
they don't mind paying a higher retail
price for quality items. We are seeing
this trend in our personalized bat sales
as well. Kids are looking to customize our
Prime bats with their names, as opposed
20 Fall 2014

to a souvenir bat to
hang on their wall.
Our Prime bats
are our premium wood bats, the
same models used by
Major League players today on field."
"Interest remains strong among
youth in our collegiate licensed
autograph footballs, rubber footballs
and rubber basketballs," says Michael
Schindler, CEO, Baden Sports. "But our
Soft Touch items are rapidly gaining
ground because youth love the size, feel
and novelty of them. Products such as
our newly designed Soft Touch Hoop and
Ball Set, which can be hung on the back
of a bedroom or dormitory room door
and feature the logo of a favorite college
team, are especially popular and a big
reason why we're seeing rapid growth
in that segment."
Spalding is another manufacturer that
has pushed the envelope on connecting its
brand to younger consumers. The company makes the official baseball of the
Little League World Series and Dudley
(a Spalding brand) has been the official

10 Most-Popular

YOUTH TEAM SPORTS

No. of Participants
Sport
(ages 6-17)
1. Basketball
9,593,000
2. Outdoor Soccer
7,235,000
3. Baseball
5,943,000
4. Tackle Football
3,265,000
5. Gymnastics
2,767,000
6. Court Volleyball
2,662,000
7. Touch Football
2,475,000
8. Track & Field
2,464,000
9. Flag Football
2,070,000
10. Indoor Soccer
2,026,000
Source: 2013 SFIA U.S. Trends in Team
Sports Report

softball of the Little League World Series
for the past four years.
"By associating with premier youth
organizations and designing products
specifically for youth, Spalding is 'starting
young' with them and providing authentic product and great competitive experiences," says Paul Sullivan, senior vice
president of Spalding. "Our association
with youth gives our brand the opportunity to build a long-lasting relationship
that will carry on through high school,
college and at the highest level of competitive play."
Spalding's Rookie Gear, a line of youthsized basketballs, footballs, volleyballs
and soccer balls that weigh 15% less than
standard youth products, has been at
the forefront of its push to connect with
younger customers.
According to Spalding's Matt Maresca,
youth products traditionally are made
smaller in size, but not appropriately
weighted, which can lead to improper
form, lack of success and eventual frustration, ultimately taking the fun out
of play. With the Spalding Rookie Gear
line, children are rebounding with more
confidence, dribbling with more success,
throwing balls with more accuracy, kicking balls farther, and shooting with dramatically better form, he says.
With the glut of games and sportsrelated events on the calendar annually, the biggest challenge licensed sports
product manufacturers face is the battle for drawer and closet space in the
American household.
"The great thing about children getting older is that they grow out of clothes
and need to buy a larger size," says SFIA's
Mayor. For retailers and manufacturers,
that may be the best business model for
an industry that is on the rise and poised
for more growth.
Mike May is a Wellington, Fla.-based
freelance sports writer, veteran high school
soccer official, experienced sporting goods
industry publicist and experienced high
school basketball coach. For more information or to comment on this article, email
Mike at mmaymarketing@gmail.com.
SportsFan Retailer

Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Fall 2014

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