URC Ameland Tournament
We teamed up with Utrechtse Rugby Club (URC) to create a last-minute rugby jersey!
For the Rugby 7s beach tournament on Ameland, URC asked us to design brand-new custom jerseys. Sounds simple enough, right? They had a clear vision for the theme and colors, so we could jump straight into the design process. Just two small challenges: we had never made rugby jerseys before, and we only had eight weeks to design, produce, and ship them! No time to waste—let’s get started!
We began crafting a Japanese-themed rugby jersey, perfect for a beach tournament. The centerpiece? The Great Wave off Kanagawa as the focal design. Add a fully vectorized dragon on the back, and we were almost there. Or so we thought. But our designer, Valentijn, wasn’t satisfied with “almost.” He went the extra mile and created a custom font, making sure the numbers on the back looked just as striking as the rest of the design! While the jersey was coming to life, our logistics mastermind, Wessel, was also hard at work.
Finding a manufacturer that could meet our high standards at West Valley wasn’t easy. But after asking around, URC connected us with a reliable partner, and we got to work. We even set up a dedicated order page on our website, allowing players to pre-order jerseys customized with their names and numbers. With all the orders placed, production was underway—leaving us with just three weeks before the tournament…
Fast forward to summer 2024—only one week until the highly anticipated tournament. That meant over 80 rugby players were eagerly waiting for their jerseys. And trust us, we really didn’t want to disappoint 80 big, strong rugby players. We were waiting, hoping, and praying. Then, finally, we got the message: our package had arrived at border control! But then…
Border control—for reasons unknown—seemed determined to make things difficult. They refused to release our package, and we started sweating. After at least seven phone calls and reaching out to multiple people, we finally got in touch with a higher-up. The package was cleared and supposedly sent to a sorting center at Schiphol Airport. From there, it was supposed to be transported to Utrecht.
The morning of the tournament arrived. It was 6 AM, and Wessel went to pick up the jerseys. But, of course, things couldn’t be that easy. The package wasn’t there.
With no time to spare, Wessel raced to Schiphol Airport—only to find out the package had actually been sent to Utrecht after all. At this point, panic was setting in. This was our biggest order yet, and we could not leave these players shirtless on a cold and rainy beach! Desperate, we asked one of the players to check the drop-off location in Utrecht. And lo and behold—the package was there!
Our hero loaded the box, packed with over 80 extra-strong rugby jerseys, onto the back of his bike and met up with Wessel. Together, they made it to the ferry just in time, delivering the jerseys to a very relieved (and very happy) URC team.
What a journey!
This extreme rollercoaster of an order is one we’ll never forget. And we’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be partnering with URC again for next year’s beach tournament!