In an effort to make merchandising and fundraising operations easier for local sports organizations, Sports Illustrated Play announced on April 25 that it has teamed up with SquadLocker to launch a new digital platform for custom gear designing. 

Players and parents will now be able to use MyGear, a platform dedicated to developing apparel for exercise and team sports. Powered by SquadLocker, MyGear can save users hours of time with its simple-to-use design and features.

"Organizing the purchase of custom team gear and apparel has long been a point of frustration with coaches, administrators and managers, requiring the collection of individual checks, sizes, names and numbers, while taking up volunteers' valuable coaching and mentoring time with our youth athletes," said SquadLocker Founder and CEO Gary Goldberg. "The partnership between SI Play and SquadLocker enables youth sports administrators, league officials and players to easily design custom team gear and apparel and seamlessly and instantly integrate products from the market's top brands into SI Play's online platform."

SI Play, which has been in operation since July 2015, was developed to help sports team organizers manage operations at a local level. It provides individuals with registration tools, team website resources and a scheduling platform to operate their leagues. Some of its national partners include USA Volleyball, USA Field Hockey and U.S. Lacrosse. 

"In talking to thousands of fellow coaches, team administrators and organizers, a common theme was making the operational side of running teams and leagues more efficient and thus more rewarding for everyone," said Jeff Karp, CEO of SI Play. "MyGear was created exactly for that purpose. Now everyone who wants to support their local teams will have an efficient resource. It also saves countless hours for volunteers and league organizers who manage this process. We believe it's a win-win for everyone."

MyGear can also be used to help local organizations launch fundraising initiatives over the Web. Everything from uniform sizing and ordering can be completed with MyGear, simplifying league and team management.

SquadLocker, the company behind MyGear, is headquartered in Rhode Island. The company specializes in the personalization of sports gear manufactured by leading apparel brands.