Eich's Sports

What Eich's Sports does

Eich's Sports is a family-owned retail and custom apparel decoration business founded in 1988, operating from two storefronts in Plainfield and Lemont, Illinois. The company serves local schools, youth and adult sports teams, community organizations, and small businesses, offering screen printing, embroidery, DTF (Direct-to-Film) heat press printing, and laser engraving services alongside retail sporting goods, PE uniforms, trophies, awards, and corporate gifts. An adjacent operating subsidiary, Eich's Sports Complex, extends the brand into sports facility rentals for games and parties out of the Plainfield location.

The underlying technology stack combines in-house decoration production with three digital tools aimed at simplifying customer-side workflows: a Uniform Design Builder that lets buyers customize colors, numbers, logos, and fit online; a free Spirit Wear Store platform that hosts 24/7 branded storefronts for schools and organizations with printing and drop-shipping handled in-house (eliminating inventory risk for the organization); and an online logo design tool with professional design support. The vendor catalog spans major brands including Rawlings, Adidas Team, Under Armour, Mizuno, Wilson/DeMarini/Louisville Slugger, Speedo, TYR, Richardson, and Sanmar, enabling the business to act as a one-stop local source for team apparel and equipment.

The business model is a hybrid of one-time project revenue (custom decoration jobs with quantity-based and stitch-count-based pricing, 12-piece minimum on screen printing, no minimum on DTF), retail hardware sales (sporting equipment, PE uniforms), and an implicit transaction/fulfillment fee on spirit wear store orders. Pricing is pay-as-you-go across services, and customer acquisition relies on direct sales through the two retail locations, word-of-mouth and referrals from local schools and teams, a website with quote-request functionality, email newsletter marketing, and a Facebook page. Customer segments are organized vertically — youth/adult sports teams and schools/districts are the primary segments, with local businesses and community organizations as secondary segments.

Name

Eich's Sports

Legal name

Eich's Sports

Website

https://eichssports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned custom apparel decoration and sporting goods retailer in Illinois, serving schools, youth sports teams, and local businesses through two retail stores and online spirit wear stores with in-house screen printing, embroidery, DTF printing, and awards/engraving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Apparel & Sporting Goods Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Team Sports Equipment & Uniforms Retail (CRAMABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sportswear Customization & Printing Retail (CRAMACAK), Fan Apparel & Wearables Retail (Licensed) (CRAMAOAE), Team & School Athletic Uniforms Retail (CRAMACAJ)

Keywords

• Custom apparel decoration
• Screen printing services
• Embroidery services
• Team uniforms
• Sporting goods retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Plainfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Screen Printing Services: Custom screen printing for teams, schools, and businesses. Pricing based on quantity with a minimum order of 12 pieces. Turnaround time typically 7-10 business days with rush services available.
2. Embroidery Services: Custom embroidery on polo shirts, caps, bags, and other apparel. Pricing based on stitch count. Logo digitization services available.
3. DTF Heat Press Printing: Full-color, photo-quality DTF printing on any fabric with no minimums and no setup fees. Ideal for small orders, one-offs, and last-minute requests.
4. Spirit Wear Store Commissions: Online spirit wear stores for schools and organizations. The company prints and ships directly to customers with no inventory risk for the organization.
5. Trophies, Awards, and Medals: Custom trophies, plaques, medals, ribbons, championship rings, and personalized gifts with laser engraving and heat sublimation options.
6. Sporting Goods and Equipment: Retail sale of sports equipment including baseball/softball gear, swim gear, football equipment, volleyballs, basketballs, sport bags, and PE uniforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Eich's Sports is a family-owned retailer and custom apparel decorator offering screen printing, embroidery, DTF/heat press printing, and logo design for custom uniforms, spirit wear, and team apparel. The company also retails sporting equipment, trophies, and awards to schools, sports teams, local businesses, and community organizations.

Product overview

Eich's Sports is a family-owned retail business established in 1988, offering custom apparel decoration and sporting goods. The core product portfolio centers on three primary decoration services: Screen Printing (custom prints for apparel with a 12-piece minimum), Embroidery (high-quality stitching with logo digitization), and Heat Press/DTF Printing (full-color photo-quality transfers with no minimums). Supporting services include an online Uniform Design Builder for custom uniform creation, free Spirit Wear Stores for schools and organizations, Logo Design tools, and Trophies & Awards with laser engraving. The company also retails sporting equipment including swim gear, football gear, volleyballs, baseball/softball equipment, and PE uniforms. Products are available through two retail locations in Plainfield and Lemont, Illinois, and through multiple online store portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screen Printing Custom screen printing service for apparel including team uniforms, spirit wear, and branded merchandise. Used by schools, sports teams, local businesses, and organizations.
• Embroidery Custom embroidery service applied to apparel such as polos, jackets, hats, and team uniforms. Used by schools, teams, and local businesses for branded apparel.
• DTF/Heat Press Printing Direct-to-film and heat press printing service for custom apparel and apparel decoration. Used for custom designs on a range of garments.
• Custom Uniforms and Spirit Wear Custom-designed uniforms and spirit wear for schools, sports teams, and community organizations. Includes team-specific apparel and branded spirit merchandise.
• Sporting Equipment Retail Retail sale of sporting equipment for schools, teams, and individual consumers at the Plainfield and Lemont storefronts.
• Trophies and Awards Retail and custom sale of trophies and awards for schools, sports teams, leagues, and organizations recognizing achievements and seasons.
• Logo Design In-house custom logo design service to support custom apparel decoration and branded merchandise for teams, schools, and local businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 years in business serving the local community

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RawlingscoreOthersVendor partner supplying baseball and softball equipment. Eich's switched Batavia Baseball from BSN to Rawlings equipment.
• Adidas TeamcoreOthersVendor partner for Adidas team apparel and uniforms catalog.
• Under Armour (UA)coreOthersVendor partner supplying Under Armour baseball, softball, soccer, sideline, and track & field apparel.
• MizunocoreOthersVendor partner for baseball, softball, and volleyball equipment.
• Alleson/BadgerminorOthersVendor partner for uniforms catalog.
• ChamprominorOthersVendor partner for sports equipment and custom uniform builder integration.
• Augusta Sportswear BrandsminorOthersVendor partner for spirit wear and headwear.
• SanmarminorOthersVendor partner for apparel catalog including their Playbook Good/Better/Best line.
• S&S ActivewearminorOthersVendor partner for Adidas and general activewear.
• Wilson/DeMarini/Louisville SluggerminorOthersVendor partner for baseball and softball equipment.
• Premier (Awards)minorOthersVendor partner for trophies, awards, plaques, personalized gifts, and acrylic awards.
• RichardsonminorOthersVendor partner for headwear catalog.
• Pacific HeadwearminorOthersVendor partner for headwear.
• Cap AmericaminorOthersVendor partner for headwear catalog.
• SpeedominorOthersVendor partner for swimwear.
• TYRminorOthersVendor partner for swimwear.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Riddell: Team sports equipment manufacturer and retailer (football helmets, protective gear) supplying schools and leagues. Adjacent to Eich's sporting equipment category; competes indirectly through brand-direct school sales programs.

Broad incumbents

• Academy Sports + Outdoors: National big-box sporting goods retailer carrying team equipment, athletic apparel, and footwear. Competes with Eich's on sporting goods retail assortment and pricing power, though without custom decoration or local spirit wear services.
• Dick's Sporting Goods: Largest U.S. sporting goods big-box retailer with broad team equipment, apparel, and footwear assortments. Eich's explicitly positions against this competitor; Dick's scale and pricing pressure the local shop's equipment and apparel retail lines.
• Champs Sports: National athletic footwear and apparel retailer owned by Foot Locker. Competes with Eich's on branded athletic apparel sales (Adidas, Under Armour, Nike) at the consumer/individual level, though without custom decoration services.

Direct peers

• Champion Teamwear: Custom team uniforms, spirit wear, and decorated apparel for schools, clubs, and organizations. Overlaps with Eich's uniform design builder, screen printing, and embroidery services for the same school and youth sports customer base.
• Eastbay: Team sports apparel and footwear retailer serving high school and collegiate athletes. Comparable team-focused sporting goods assortment and spirit wear positioning, though Eastbay is a national catalog/e-commerce brand versus Eich's local retail.
• Pro Image Sports: Licensed sports fan gear and team apparel retailer with a franchise/store model. Comparable fan apparel and licensed merchandise focus to Eich's spirit wear offering, with a similar local retail footprint model.
• SquadLocker: Team apparel and spirit wear platform providing custom online stores for schools, athletic programs, and organizations. Directly comparable to Eich's Spirit Wear Store offering, though SquadLocker is a software-led national platform while Eich's also operates physical retail and in-house decoration.
• BSN Sports: Large-scale team sports dealer offering uniforms, equipment, and spirit wear to schools and leagues nationwide. Comparable assortment to Eich's across apparel and equipment; competing head-on for school and league contracts Eich's holds.
• Custom Ink: National custom apparel decoration platform (screen printing, embroidery, DTF) serving teams, schools, businesses, and groups. Closest direct competitor to Eich's apparel decoration services, but operates purely online with national reach versus Eich's local retail presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/eichsplainfield
• Xx.com/eichs88
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eich-s-sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eich's Sports