Not so long ago, I was contacted by a certain Travis from SoccerPro.com, offering me to test their products for free and then post a short review on the site. At first I was suspicious. Like… “where’s the catch”? Do I have to pay hidden fees somewhere? Will they send me some obscure, itchy training jacket which will give me a rash to last a lifetime?

Actually on this one: no catch whatsoever. As Travis clearly explained to me in his introductory email, *I* get to pick the products from their catalogue, and they pay for everything. Shipping included. In turn, they get some publicity on mCalcio with a short review of their article (written by me). Win-win situation, right? Obviously I accepted.

The great thing about someone offering you free stuff though, is that it automatically makes you interested in what they have to offer (and open yourself up to new things). That is, you’re much less likely to say “Oh great … another door-to-door salesman who wants to unload something on me“. That is how I discovered that SoccerPro is actually a pretty darn cool business, with plenty of things to offer and not limited to soccer merchandise.
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As advertised on their website, the SoccerPro company is a leading authority for soccer gear and training, “striving to provide the finest soccer equipment available, and seeking to promote the enjoyment of soccer by helping soccer players of all levels play better soccer”. Their staff focuses on 4 very important aspects of serving their customers:

1. Promote the enjoyment of soccer by helping soccer players of all levels play better soccer.
2. Provide a quality product with the best knowledge in the field of soccer.
3. Offer our products and services at times and locations that are convenient for our customers.
4. Provide an environment friendly to the first time soccer player and knowledgeable to the seasoned athlete.

That’s for the sales pitch, but what is SoccerPro really all about?
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Well, SoccerPro is a soccer store. What’s more, a pretty darn good one too. Their merchandise selection varies from the classic Soccer Shoes, Balls, Licensed Jerseys, and Training Wear… to entertainment material (Watches, Posters & Wallbangers, Soccer Videos & Magazines) to less “ordinary” items such as Coaches Apparel and Referee Equipment. You may also Shop by color or Shop by brand.
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Their Soccer Shoes selection notably is very rich, especially the indoor soccer shoes section (which traditionally is very limited on sports websites), and being a player living in cold Canada (where indoor soccer is a must), trust me I know what I’m talking about. Shoe brands go from the “big ones” (Nike, Adidas, Puma, Umbro), to the less popular but equally good Diadora, Lotto, and Kelme.
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One criticism I can make perhaps, is that their Official Soccer Jerseys section could be more stocked.

For instance, the “big teams” of European soccer (such as Chelsea, Real Madrid, Juventus, etc.) are well-represented, but I would have wished to see “smaller” teams being featured too here (at least with an official jersey or something). I mean, come on – anyone can stock a Manchester United or Juventus jersey… but where is Torino, Reggina, Sanbenedettese? Ok, Sanbenedettese might be pushing it…

In their defense, they did expand their EPL section to “small” teams (such as Wigan, Birmingham, Sunderland…) which is pretty cool (provided you like any of those teams of course), and within each club and national team (big choice there) category their selection is very varied, with items such as short sleeve jerseys, training jackets, home & away shorts, and many more.
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SoccerPro also has a nifty Specialty section, which features Player Gear & Memorabilia, Top Brand shoes (Adidas Predator, Nike Mercurial Vapor etc.), as well as… the “Everything Pink” section which I found quite peculiar. It is tagged as “For all the pink soccer gear fans, here is everything pink at SoccerPro“. And indeed it includes pink balls, pink shoes, and pink shin guards… for the “sensitive” tackler in all of us.
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Finally, their Clearance Items section advertises special deals and items which are currently for sale at bargain prices. Once again, pretty well-stocked stuff especially the shoes part (there are currently 3 pages of shoes on sale).
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Lastly, aside from their soccer “store” SoccerPro also sponsors a soccer Podcast (the Goalmouth Scramble) which talks about the English Premier League and soccer in general, and has just launched a charitable giving program (SoccerGrow) through which SoccerPro can donate soccer equipment and money to those in need. Kudos to them for that.

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So go check out SoccerPro, and if you have any questions/comments, feel free to send them an email at info@soccerpro.com.

Note that I’ll be making my first item reviews over the next few weeks. Don’t worry though, I’ll know how to put an interesting spin on it and besides, I only buy quality stuff.

Wait did I say “buy”? Oh right…

Tags: Advertise, Merchandise, Soccer gear, Soccer shoes, SoccerPro, Sportswear

Posted in Sponsors |

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 6:10 pm and is filed under Sponsors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.