A Star and Three Stripes

by Richard W. Haugh

There's a huge new player on the footbag front, and this giant could do great things for our sport. In a major coup, John Stalberger, innovator of the original Hacky Sack® footbag, and Adidas have concluded a deal for Adidas to license its name to Stalberger's company, Pastime Sports Inc., Vancouver, Washington. Having such a heavyweight lend its prestigious name is bound to carry the sport to new heights.

Stalberger was elated with the development. In a recent interview with Footbag World, he said Adidas matches his own company's commitment to total quality for both footbag's game and sport sides. "Footbag will get total validity it has never known before because of this," he said.

The World Footbag Association (WFA) will carry products manufactured by Pastime Sports under the new arrangement with Adidas. WFA director Bruce Guettich thinks the Adidas connection will help the sport. Since the inception of footbag in the early '70s, the tasks of creating consumer awareness and stocking the retailers' shelves has fallen to the brand names of Hacky Sack®, Sipa Sipa® and I DIG®. Although their efforts have rewarded them with respectable sales and the sport of footbag has prospered as a result of their promotional efforts, most would agree they've only scratched the surface of the game's potential. Now, perhaps, the tie-in with Adidas will change that.

The licensing arrangement covers several years, with several options to renew the contract. Stalberger declined to estimate sales of the new products, but said Pastime is shipping products already and they are getting an excellent reception.

He said his goal is to raise awareness around the country of the sport of footbag, and Adidas will help him do that.

Besides lending its name to the effort, Adidas is lending its sales reps, too. Stalberger said he is already working closely with the big company's sales force to ensure maximum marketing exposure for the new products.

Stalberger has other plans in the works as well, some of which involve the WFA. He said he and Pastime Sports will be available to work with the WFA on special programs and promotions. And specific plans are being developed jointly for a membership drive

through the WFA. Stalberger wants to build grass roots promotional efforts through clubs on the local level as well, in addition to working with the WFA. He hopes that by working closely at the local level, as players ascend the ranks into regional and eventually Worlds levels, they will take their knowledge of the Adidas-Pastime connection with them.

Stalberger also plans to work with professional teams, introducing the new products and helping incorporate them into the sport. A major push will be Team Adidas, Stalberger said, including working with 20 to 30 recognized personalities and top players in the footbag field, both here in the U.S. and in Canada.

[Stalberger] said his goal is to raise awareness around the country of the sport of footbag, and Adidas will help him do that.

Even though adding a heavyweight name like Adidas to his roster of products will likely add significant sales, Stalberger said he has no immediate plans to make changes in Pastime's operations. While he doesn't think any one factory will be able to handle the increased production load, spreading the work around will accommodate the demand. He also doesn't think he will have to add staff, saying Pastime can pretty easily handle the increased workload as part of his current operations.

So what about the future? It's only rosy, as Stalberger gazes into his crystal ball. He plans to move into other markets to spread the word, most likely first targeting Canada, Europe and Japan. Can the rest of the world be far behind after that?

On-Line Edition by Steven L. Goldberg, July, 1996.