By Evan Triantafilidis
Sentinel Reporter
As school starts for thousands of students this week, so does the fall sports season, and that means an exciting and busy time for local sports equipment stores in town.
This time of year is another holiday season for the shops that serve the sporting needs of nearly all fall sports across town and beyond.
Soccer and Rugby Imports, at 42 West Putnam Avenue, has been getting ready for its rush of sports enthusiasts looking for the newest gear of the English Premier League and soccer leagues of their own.
“This is the busiest time of the season, when all the teams are coming in getting their uniforms and jerseys for the fall,” Justin Curtis, an employee of Soccer and Rugby Imports, said. “They’re loading up on shinguards and cleats, especially now that the [English Premier League] is starting up.”
Boxes of team gear and equipment orders packed the store, hinting at soccer’s popularity with players at all levels in Greenwich. The soccer and rugby equipment store also gears up Greenwich United and the Greenwich Soccer Association with their kits, uniforms, and more.
“Kids want to get their semi-authentic team jerseys with the name on the back, too,” Curtis added. “They’re also going after the high-end cleats that the players are wearing on the field. Nike and Adidas are our top sellers.”
The time between the summer and fall lacrosse schedules has Lacrosse Unlimited, at 1239 East Putnam Ave., quieter than usual, but here too preparations are being made for the sport played almost year-round in Greenwich.
Adam McReddie, who has been working in the shop for three years, says the end of September is usually the peak of the equipment rush for the beginning of the season.
“Fall ball starts around the end of September here,” McReddie said. “People play [lacrosse] around the country all the time, though.”
The former lacrosse player says it’s common to see experienced lacrosse players have their gear ready to go for their upcoming season while the younger kids often get equipped all at once for the start of theirs.
“They start [playing] in kindergarten and in first grade here,” McReddie added. “It’s crazy. Sometimes they can’t even fit into the equipment we have. That’s mostly in the spring, though. Not everyone plays fall ball.”
Preseason for fall sports, except football, starts Aug. 27, and the regular season officially begins Sept. 11.
