February 11, 2021
INTRODUCING OUR BESPOKE UNIFORM SERVICE FOR SUDAMERICA FUTSAL X SENDA
Senda is excited to announce a new one-of-a-kind service to offer a new bespoke uniform design service for futsal and soccer clubs which are looking to stand out on and off the court. Our goal is to help teams break from the conventional jersey template, and offer them a chance to work with our professional in-house customization and award-winning designers to create a collection that captures the soul of your organization. We have built a team and process to offer you a design and customer experience normally reserved for professional clubs. In this initial phase, our service will be available for organizations looking to equip at least 100 players or more.
Sudamerica Futsal Club: first club in the world to wear Senda uniforms
We are extremely proud to introduce the first club in the world to wear Senda uniforms: Sudamerica Futsal Club. For this first project, we worked closely with the Sudamerica leadership team to create a collection that reflects the roots of their programs and portray it in premium-quality kits and training gear for their competitive teams. We owe a debt of gratitude to Richard, Rudi and Dawn from the Sudamerica team, and also to all their players and parents for how much passion they dedicated to this launch, and for helping shape how we will work with clubs and organizations.
How and when was the idea born?
Santiago Halty, CEO and founder of Senda Athletics, and Richard Ortega, one of the founders of Sudamerica Futsal Club, met for the first time in February 2020 at the US Youth Futsal National Championship that took place in Kansas City. Soon after they started their conversation, they found that they were naturally aligned on a shared perspective on the potential of futsal in the US and on the many opportunities for growth that both of them saw in the short and long terms. The idea of developing a new design for the Sudamerica Futsal Club uniforms was born during that fruitful first talk.
The design process
Honoring its name, Sudamerica Futsal Club’s foundation principle aims at representing the spirit and culture of South America as it is the origin of this sport. That South American spirit is present in Sudamerica Futsal Club’s DNA and in the unique way that they play. The logo showcases that spirit: different shapes like diamonds, triangles and squares all together make up the shape of South America and the way that Sudamerica’s players move in the court.
When Sudamerica and Senda started to work together on the uniforms’ design process they set a baseline for inspiration and creativity: the uniforms should represent the way they play and the message they want to give on and off the field. Their slogan, “making difference makers”, is reflected in the overall concept of the design. These customized uniforms give Sudamerica a platform to stand out in the crowd and be different.
This beautiful player kit is the result of a careful and dedicated teamwork throughout the creative and design process, on to the execution phase. We at Senda are immensely proud of the results.
The Sudamerica Futsal story
Located in Cumming, Georgia, Sudamerica Futsal Club was founded almost 4 years ago. With close to 100 quality futsal players, it made its first appearance in the 2020 US Youth Futsal National Championship, held in Kansas City in February 2020.
Richard Ortega was born in Lima, Peru and is one of the founders of Sudamerica Futsal Club. Richard has been exceedingly kind in sharing with us his experience with the new player kit design process, developed jointly with Senda, as well as his vision on the present and the future of futsal in the US, and why he encourages parents to have their kids practice this beautiful sport.
Can you tell us the story behind the Sudamerica Futsal Program?
Sudamerica Futsal was born out of the need to offer more diverse and dynamic soccer/futsal training. The program quickly evolved into small group training, which grew in popularity in our community due to its unique structure. This small group training eventually involved a larger group, which allowed us to reinvent the structure, implement a larger coaching staff, and begin a team creation process.
Sudamerica Futsal is loved by so many players and families due to its personal approach. Even when working with 40+ players at a time, our training structure has been carefully implemented to ensure personal attention to player development.
What type of impact do you want to make on your players?
We want our players to find joy in what they do. We also want them to believe that different training approaches can make them better players. The experience through futsal is much different than the one found in soccer. This includes from the overall structure of a training session to what you can get out of it as a player. Futsal provides incredible tools to adapt and develop as a player. We want our players to love the game while being reminded of why they are playing.
How did the idea come about to be the first club ever to create and wear Senda Uniforms?
Santi and his team have been excellent since day one, 3 years ago. At Sudamerica Futsal, we worked hard to be different and take more creative approaches. Senda was an appealing brand to us from the beginning because of the way that they present their brand and support the fair trade market. Santi and I had an opportunity to meet at the 2020 USYF National Championship in Kansas City. Within 5 minutes, several back and forth ideas were born, including a sneak peek of the prototypes for uniforms and upcoming futsal shoes. That same day, I told Santi that we would love to collaborate in the design process for the uniforms and become the first club to ever wear the Senda brand on our chests. Several months and prototypes later, we were ready to execute on this great vision. Working with Santi and his team has been an absolute blast. The attention to detail is contagious… Senda is the brand of the future and we are extremely honored to be the first club to ever wear these uniforms.
How does it feel to go from an idea/concept, to holding the uniform in your hands and sharing it with your players and coaches?
It feels unreal. The best part about creating something is that when you get to see it, feel it, and share it, you also feel a sense of pride. Everything comes together; the hours spent by all of Senda and Sudamerica team members, but most importantly, you can feel that corners were not cut. There was a lot of love during this kit creation process and to see our players wear the jersey and colors, it makes us incredibly proud. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t because of the wonderful teamwork and care.
How have you seen futsal growing in the U.S. in recent years? What kind of impact do you think it will have on the game of soccer?
Futsal is the future. Anyone not playing futsal at a young age is wasting valuable development years, without mentioning that futsal is just a blast! It fills the gaps not covered in regular team soccer training. When you are part of an 18 player squad, players can hide. Futsal, on the other hand, exposes players’ strengths and weaknesses. 100% of the time, these weaknesses become stronger because the game demands it. As a training tool, futsal is that efficient. As a game in itself, futsal is simply fun and it makes you love the game more and more every time you play it. It is competitive, it is meaningful, it is social, and it is the future in the U.S.
Why would you recommend parents to encourage their kids to practice this beautiful game?
There is something about the game that demands more control and ambition from players. Futsal is an incredible teacher of the game. Most importantly, futsal is a fun way to discover the game. It develops creativity, vision, coordination, and a personal relationship with the ball. Futsal is the most complete training tool without encouraging lack of participation or touches on the ball.
Any additional comments, stories of fun facts you want to share with our audience?
This journey started in a very natural way. After meeting Santi and his team at the 2020 USYF National Championship, we spoke about long term ideas for both Senda and Sudamerica Futsal. We immediately aligned in so many ways and excitement started to flow back and forth. A few months later, the uniforms were born and we couldn’t be any happier! We look forward to this incredible partnership and friendship to continue to grow.
