Preparing for the Spring Soccer Season- Uniforms, Goals & Nets

Are you ready for spring soccer? Challenger Teamwear has excelled as a one-stop soccer shop since 2001 and that has given us an excellent vantage point on what you need to do to be ready. My name is Andy Bureman, I have worn just about every hat in our business model over the last 10 years and have seen the ups and downs of our industry.  Yes, here at Challenger Teamwear we provide a high quality performance garment, but our main point of difference has always been our sales team.

After one of the most challenging times in uniforms and equipment, what can clubs do to prepare better this Spring? 

I have come up with some things to try and follow to ensure success that we also try and have our sales team implement with you BEFORE it becomes an issue.

Uniforms

1. Get orders in early
   1. Send off the main bulk order before the stragglers
   2. If you have most of what you need … Send it!
      1. Charge new players a premium if they are late to order their new uniforms.
      2. Consider setting deadlines, or if you have a team store, implement these timelines and share them on a calendar.
   3. Most companies have a 4-6 week turnaround time.
      1. Challenger Teamwear is working for 3 weeks or less on all bulk orders.
      2. We sometimes offer incentives for ordering early. 

2. Ensure you have a pre-order sent in to reserve stock. Send in past quantities, or your best guess for what’s going to be ordered.
   1. Nobody has a magic crystal ball, but we rely on pre-orders to ensure we have what you need for the next season.
   2. If for some reason we do not have the stock, we can detect the issue and provide a solution.

3. Any new Artwork needs to be submitted EARLY, so there is no excuse to not have the order ready to be worked on. 
   1. Submit artwork in Vector format (.Ai / .EPS / .PDF)
      1. This ensures your artwork is original and will not have to be re-drawn by our art team
         1. If you do not have this, our art team can design / redraw anything you may have. Our sales team can also help conceptualize your dream design.

4. Be prepared to be flexible on inventory and availability
   1. Most if not ALL uniform providers are facing holes in their inventories. 
      1. We adopt a solution mindset and solve these issues by moving a team into a different style that matches their current style as closely as possible in the same color.
      2. This can also include upsizing or downsizing, if the exact size is not available. 

5. Have your order paid for at the time it is submitted, so there is no reason to not be completed / being worked on.
   1. Unless you have agreed terms with us, we don;t ship without payment – Sorry! We accept credit cards, checks and ACH. 

6. Consider choosing Challenger Teamwear
   1. Supply chain is still hurting for everyone, including ourselves. So, if available from our inventory, consider our line of teamwear as we have direct control and can provide up to date information regarding incoming shipments.

Goals & Nets

For your goal needs, we recommend PEVO, KwikGoal, BowNet, & FoldAGoal. We help clubs and organizations of all sizes in all corners of the US. I personally have sold each of their products and can say with confidence you are going to get a quality goal for the best deal possible. I’ve also received feedback many times regarding how clients prefer us to do the heavy lifting for them and be the point person for communication with vendors.

7. Turn around time for most goals is about 2+ weeks.
   1. It’s imperative to get these ordered early

8. There are many different factors to consider when purchasing your soccer goal. The main contributing factors are level of play and age
   1. Do you need a Castlite Channel & cemented poles, or velcro straps? 
   2. Unpainted, or powder coated
   3. Round or Square
   4. KwikGoal has a great Size & Standards guide Here

9. One question I always get – What size goals do we need & How do I measure existing goals? 
   1. Soccer goal width is measured from the inside edge of the vertical uprights, and height is measured from the ground to the bottom edge of the horizontal crossbar.
   2. AGES 2 and 3.  Kids that are 2 or 3 years old use soccer goals that are sizes 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 ft.
   3. AGES 4 and 5.  Soccer players that are 4 or 5 years old use goals that are at least 4 x 6 feet, but no bigger than 5 x 10 ft. 
   4. Ages 6 and 7.  Six and 7 year old children use soccer goals that are either 5 x 10 ft. or 6 x 12 ft. tall. 
   5. AGES 8 TO 11.  Soccer players that are 8, 9, 10, or 11 years old use goals between 6 x 18 and 7 x 21 ft.
   6. AGES 12 AND OLDER.  Finally, 12 year olds and older players use the regulation 8 x 24 ft. goals.

10.  Just need nets?
    1. Challenger Teamwear provides an entire selection of nets.
    2. Contact our sales team today to order and they ship quickly out of Kansas. 

You can find out about all Challenger Teamwear products at www.challengerteamwear.com

If you are interested in getting help with coaching or programs this spring or beyond then visit www.challengersports.com to find out more.