It seems every soccer team in the world insists on adding “FC” or “SC” to their name without considering what being a Club actually implies. Not that there’s anything wrong with simply having a logo, filling a squad with players, and competing in city, state, or regional competition, but that barely scratches the surface of what a club should stand for and the extent of what one should be doing. A soccer or football club should be playing soccer, of course, but should also be engaged with the community around them – whether that’s through coaching clinics, off-season futsal, volunteerism, or good old-fashioned charitable work.

A few clubs took this to heart in the offseason and have come together to create a product which represents their respective teams, but also their chosen mascots in a positive way. Grays Harbor Gulls of the Western Washington Premier League, Alta California Sol of UPSL SoCal North, MPSL City SC of the NPSL as well as UPSL Midwest, and finally newcomers AC Chehalem Valley, who have applied for the NWPL (Northwest Premier League), have all joined up with Patchmarks to make a limited edition set of club badge patches. All four organizations have bird-badges - Seagulls, Pelicans, Crows, and Great Blue Heron – and each set comes with one 2 ½ inch, high-quality, woven patch of each badge.