Meet the minor footballer sponsoring his team's jerseys

It was this time last year in transition year, the mini-company was starting up. We had to come up with a product or an enterprise. I was looking into doing training jerseys for the students. I was going around the classrooms to see would there be interest. I go to Ballinrobe Community School in Co Mayo.

I got the first order of school jerseys in. It all happened very quickly, between picking a name – Hughsey Sports is the original name, there wasn’t much thought in it at all – and all the rest. After getting the order, there were near enough 100 jerseys, they were sold straight away, the whole lot of them. I could see then that this was something worth sticking with.

More local teams saw them and got on to me looking for gear too

I started the social media pages and put those jerseys up. My own club then said they’d chance getting gear off me. I got the gear and put up those pictures as well. More local teams saw them and got on to me looking for gear too. There was a knock-on effect and it kicked off from there.

The sports team side of things is everything from socks to shorts, gloves, half zips and crewnecks. But it’s not just gear for sports teams. As I continued, I saw I could do all sorts of stuff. I do jackets too. There’s a horse riding club locally, I do jackets for them. I do jackets for lots of different businesses, corporate stuff.

The feed companies even and other agri businesses, at Christmas time, they’d do the sleeveless jackets, the gilets, for employees. I’d do gear for farmers too. My grandfather has a farm, he has cattle, just heifers and bullocks. I’d be down there helping him.

My club is The Neale in Co Mayo. I played minor for them last year and this year. I was on the Mayo minor team last year, and I’ll be there again this year, hopefully.

Last year with The Neale, we were in the county final and the jerseys were given out after the game, so we had no jerseys this year. They were looking for sponsors and I said that I’d be more than happy to do it for us. It’s cool enough seeing your name on the kit, but when you’re out on the field, you don’t take much notice of it.

Taking a chance

I get asked all the time, how I managed to do it at my age. I just thought it would be a good idea. Some people have ideas, but they’d never follow through. I followed up my thoughts and took a risk. It was a risk, especially at my age. I said: “Here goes”.

I do everything myself, mainly. The designing is getting technical enough and it takes a lot of time, so I’ve gotten a new designer and I’m trying to expand on that. Then I can just focus on doing up the orders and the emails.

For the gloves, the orders just come in on the website and I’ve it all linked to my phone. I see them then and ship them out in the post. For the team orders, I’d get emails and enquiries through the website. I get a lot of inquires through Instagram as well.

Instagram is probably number one for getting it out there. In this day and age, everyone is on it. I just set up the Instagram account and put up a few pictures. You could see how people would follow you and like the pictures.

You’d get inquiries then from people after seeing the pictures. There’s nothing too complicated at all to it.

I wouldn’t be a big lad for social media myself, really. I try keep a low profile – people wouldn’t think it when they’d see me that I’d have my own business.

I’ve a big interest in science. I’d like to do biomedical science or something like that

I suppose I always did have a business head. I always studied business in school. I like it, but I’m not mad into it. I’d definitely like to go to college. I’m looking at science courses, I’ve a big interest in science. I’d like to do biomedical science or something like that. I’d 100% like to keep Hughsey Sports going as well, but who knows how it could go – I could end up focusing on that too.

Hughsey Sports is going very well now, it’s very busy. The hard part at the moment is balancing it all – making time for Hughsey Sports, school and football. Between studying and homework, your evening is gone. It could be 10 o’clock before you start into an order.

Then maybe the evenings you’ve got training you won’t get anything done with it. You’re coming home and you’re starting the homework. But it’ll be fine, I’ll work it. Getting the balance right, that’s the main thing.

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