Seawall Capital has attained a majority stake in Sports Endeavors, Inc., the owner of online retailer soccer.com, worldsoccershop.com and 431sports.com.
The founding Moylan family of Sports Endeavors remains a minority investor and will continue to lead the North Carolina company. Terms were not disclosed.
Sports Endeavors was founded over 35 years ago as a DTC retailer by brothers Mike and Brendan Moylan. While still in high school, the Moylan’s produced their first Eurosport soccer catalog in 1984, which developed a cult following among the growing U.S. soccer community. Sports Endeavors then registered the Soccer.com domain in 1994 and began building what has become a destination for soccer apparel, gear, customized team jerseys, and content.
Soccer.com is a preferred provider of team uniforms to youth soccer clubs and academies in the United States. In addition to Soccer.com, Sports Endeavors owns WorldSoccerShop, the online site for soccer fans, and 431 Sports, which offers a similar integrated uniform solution to baseball, softball and volleyball teams. The company operates one of the largest sports jersey customization facilities in the U.S.
Seawell said the investment aligns with its strategy to partner with businesses in the outdoor, fitness and recreation sectors. Other related Seawall holdings include Kent Outdoors and Movement Climbing Yoga + Fitness.
The investment also seeks to capitalize on soccer’s rise in popularity over the past three decades. Today, the cumulative annual value of the U.S. media rights of professional soccer, including European leagues and the World Cup, is roughly equivalent to that of MLB. The rise in soccer fandom parallels the rise in youth soccer participation.
“Sports Endeavors aligns perfectly with our goal of partnering with passionate founders with outstanding management teams in businesses and categories that have loyal and dedicated consumers,” said Matt Eby, founder and managing partner, Seawall Capital. “As more and more people play and watch soccer here in the United States, Soccer.com is positioned to grow the game of soccer, both at the player level and at the fan level. We are eager and excited to work with this dedicated and talented management team as they continue to build the authentic destination and resource for soccer players and fans nationwide and worldwide.”
“Our partnership with Seawall Capital will allow us to help more people pursue their passion for soccer and sport by helping us shorten the distance on some important projects that will improve our reach, speed, and support for youth sports organizations,” said Mike Moylan, co-founder and CEO of Sports Endeavors. “It’s an exciting time for soccer globally. Seawall Capital’s investment will help us build our company aggressively to meet the upcoming opportunities we see arising from youth soccer participation growth, the continued rise of the men’s and women’s North American professional leagues and success on a global scale, and the U.S. co-hosting the Men’s World Cup in 2026. When the U.S. becomes the global destination for soccer in 2026, Soccer.com will be ready to outfit all of our players and fans.”
“We know the feeling of a young athlete trying on their team uniform for the first time, a fan attending a game in their team’s jersey, or a player wearing the cleats of their idol,” said Brendan Moylan, co-founder and COO, Sports Endeavors. “We are proud to help enable those moments by being the most innovative partner to youth sports teams and a preferred partner to the world’s top sport brands looking to engage with youth athletes and fans.”
“Mike, Brendan and the entire team at Sports Endeavors have built a company which is essential to the youth sports landscape in America,” said Kris Parks, Partner, Seawall Capital. “We’re excited to help expand youth sports participation and support the rising enthusiasm of American soccer fans,” added Robin Lamb, Partner at Seawall Capital.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit and Huntington Business Credit provided financing for the transaction. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal advisors to Seawall Capital. Jefferies LLC served as financial advisor and Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP served as legal advisors to Sports Endeavors.
