Topps To Sponsor Soccer Team Which Doesn't Actually Play Soccer

Topps has been growing its presence in soccer both internationally and in the U.S., picking up the MLS licensee in ’13. The company now is partnering with a club to put its logo on the front of their jerseys -- however, that soccer club does not play soccer. Topps will be the jersey sponsor of the Asbury Park Football Club, which despite all of the branding and social media presence of a modern soccer team, purposely does not field a team. APFC is the brainchild of friends Shawn Francis, a social media professional and former MLS employee, and Ian Perkins, a guitarist for New Jersey-based rock band the Gaslight Anthem. The two created the club in ’14 as a bit of a gag on the commercialism of soccer, but with the flash and polish in branding of professional teams. The team’s “press releases,” which have included renderings for a stadium on the Asbury Park boardwalk, have been reported on as news by media outlets. While the club has mostly lived online and through merchandise sales, APFC will have a physical activation for the first time during the World Cup when it will set up a summer clubhouse at the also ironically named surf bar Asbury Park Yacht Club. The space, which opens Saturday, will feature music performances, appearances from Red Bulls players and viewings of World Cup matches. Umbro USA, which serves as the club’s jersey provider, is also supporting the event along with Topps and the Red Bulls.

TRYING TO HAVE SOME FUN: Topps Brand Manager Jeremy Fullerton said that he first heard of APFC from an article that ran in the N.Y. Times and reached out to Francis regarding an opportunity to work with him to create APFC cards of its fictional players and stadium for the Allen & Ginter brand, which he described as “our quirky and cheeky brand." Fullerton: "APFC seemed like an Allen & Ginter version of a sports club.” That evolved into this opportunity to serve as the jersey sponsor, something that Topps Dir of eCommerce & New Product Development Jeff Heckman said the company had previously looked into for actual soccer teams. Topps will also bring its custom card photo experience to the team’s pop-up shop. It is part of a bigger soccer push for Topps, said Fullerton, who noted that the company is looking to create deeper awareness for its MLS cards, as well as the licenses it holds for the Champions League and the Bundesliga. For Francis, while the project is more based in passion for the sport than profit, the evolution of the club’s brand has been an exciting journey. “We’re a fake team with a real sponsor now,” he said with a laugh.