Beginning in 2012, Deploy Football have emerged as a leading manufacturer of football products in Australia, with an intrinsic focus on supporting grassroots and community football.
Having built up an extensive network of partnerships with the likes Football NSW, Football Victoria, Brisbane City FC and the Macarthur Football Association among an array of others, Deploy have become a recognisable and reliable brand for footballs and football teamwear.
As opposed to being a sports manufacturer offering multiple product ranges from a variety of sports, Deploy is football-centric. With a staff of 10 committed football adherents Footballs and teamwear, and a locally-minded approach, the quality of Deploy’s products have led it to be one of the only Australian brands approved by a FIFA Pro Quality license.
In a chat with Soccerscene, Deploy Football Chief Commercial Officer Kurt Johnson spoke about the company’s grassroots focus, the importance of developing an array of program-specific products, and their belief in quality above all else.
What inspired the launch of Deploy Football?
Kurt Johnson: Deploy was started in 2012 because we saw a gap in the market for a high-quality, Australian-owned brand that really focused on designing and developing products for grassroots football in Australia.
We wanted to make sure that there was a brand that not only developed top-quality products but also really looked after grassroots clubs in terms of pricing and the customer service.
What separates Deploy Football’s products from other sports manufacturing brands?
Kurt Johnson: First and foremost, every single product we design and develop is tested rigorously before it goes on the market. We spend countless hours in factories globally – hand-selecting all of the materials and meticulously designing every single layer of every single football to ensure that it performs exactly as its intended to.
We have an array of program-specific products designed that suit our customer’s needs. For example, training footballs are designed specifically for the rigors of training, whereas match footballs are designed to perform for a matchday.
A key differentiator between us and the rest of the market is that we are an actual brand. We’re the developer and the manufacturer, we’re not a supplier. And the range has been designed for the development of footballers in the country, so, it’s a consistent range between training footballs and match footballs. It allows players to work on their touch knowing that they have the confidence that the ball is going to perform the way it’s meant to.
How did Deploy Football establish itself as a leading manufacturer of football products in Australia?
Kurt Johnson: We are known for having arguably the best quality footballs on the market. We have a 99% return rate of customers and a less than 1% return rate of faulty products. The community trusts us and we’ve built that over the past 10 years. Currently we have give or take 500 clubs that work with us right around the country.
It is evident that Deploy Football seeks to provide high quality products to ensure effective development and enjoyment for players. How important has Deploy’s partnerships with local associations been to supporting the football community in Australia?
Kurt Johnson: Firstly, we started our partnerships with associations – we partner currently with nine associations and they’re the backbone of our business. We love to partner up with associations because not only does it give us direct access to clubs but also, we love giving back to community football. And unfortunately, community football has traditionally never been looked after by corporate sponsors or big brands.
How significant is it for Deploy Football to provide quality products to local community football clubs and associations?
Kurt Johnson: Quality is our absolute number one goal. We pride ourselves on the quality of our products and the quality of our service, and we pride ourselves on being the best value for money brand on the market. We do not accept inferior quality products.
When we do our testing, we generally test for a solid two seasons before we introduce any new balls to our range, and we’re also known as a football innovator. We’ve innovated three balls; our Rapido E Liso which is a ball designed for summer football; our Heading Pro which is designed for heading education and to reduce the impact of concussions in heading; and the third one we’ve designed is specifically for walking football. So, we like to provide products that are specifically fit for purpose.
We’re footballers at heart and our development team knows what it takes to build a ball. We know what goes into the construction, design and manufacture.
Leading into a massive year for Australian football, with the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar and 2023 Women’s World Cup on home soil, how exciting is the future for Deploy Football?
Kurt Johnson: The exciting thing for us is we’ve forged our business in Sydney metro and we’re proud to be arguably the largest brand in the Sydney metro market. The exciting thing for us as well is the opportunity to expand throughout the rest of the country. And the expansion will also come as participation increases off the back of the World Cups, especially in the female side, it’s exciting for us to be a part of that.
Players cherish their ball, when you were a kid and you got a brand-new one, some kids would sleep with it. We’re proud to know that there a kids who are now 15-years-old who have only ever used a Deploy football. The fact that we’re one of the only Australian brands to hold a FIFA Pro license is exciting for us to continue to be a world-innovator in football.
I spoke to Football Australia about a month ago and noted that the nation continues to produce some of the best players on earth in the men’s and women’s spaces; some of the best coaches on earth – why can’t we produce some of the best football innovators on earth?
The reality is we already do and already have. It’s now our job to tell the world just that.
