Whitefish company develops soccer ball made of recycled denim

A local soccer company has developed an ultra-durable soccer ball made of recycled denim to encourage global play.

Based in Whitefish, Legend Soccer Company focuses on creating sustainable, comfortable, and authentic soccer equipment. Founders of Legend Soccer Company, Roland Benedict and Sean Person explained that all of their products are designed intentionally, integrate sustainable materials, and are produced in the USA.

In 2018, Legend Soccer released bamboo shin guards that scored big in both the recreational and professional worlds and landed a partnership with the Forest Green Rovers, the world’s first carbon-neutral football club.

Legend Soccer’s latest product, the Zanya ball, is made for intense play in the street, at home or in the backyard and emulates the same environmentally-friendly values as their bamboo shin guards. In addition, the recycled denim fabric helps to maintain the authenticity of a traditional soccer ball.

“Using a soccer ball on the street destroys the padding very quickly,” said Benedict. “There are other balls that have been released that utilize rubber to be puncture proof, but it feels more like a kickball. It just doesn't feel genuine to the foot to touch and it doesn't feel like a soccer ball. The denim of the Zanya ball creates longevity and gives you a durable fabric that feels better on the foot.”

Legend Soccer’s Director of Operations, Victor Kimera, explained that part of the goal with the Zanya ball is to encourage accessibility and creativity within the game. In Luganda, which is Kimera’s native language, Zanya means “play.”

“Growing up in Uganda, there wasn't really organized football,” Kimera said. “We made our own balls out of plastic and old milk cartons and tied them together with rubber and we would just play anywhere. When you look at the countries that have been very successful in soccer, especially South America, or even Africa, I would say that there's a lot of free play. There’s no coaches, players are just out there by themselves or with others playing in the streets. We want to encourage the next generation to just go out there and have fun.”

Benedict, Person, and Kimera envision the future of soccer in the United States to be a culture of resourcefulness and critical thinking and hope that the Zanya ball will inspire players to be responsible for their own practice.

“The denim ball had a mission behind it, which was really important for us and so every product that we come up with has got to be functional and it has to have a good story behind it,” said Person. “Our eventual goal is to have a complete line up for soccer specific products that are powered by natural materials. We want to be thoughtful about what an actual soccer player would want out of their products and try to make them perform better.”

The Zanya ball is available for purchase on Legend Soccer’s website at legendsoccer.com. For questions or more information, contact info@legendsoccer.com.

Reporter Summer Zalesky may be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.