Our Story

It all started with some kids that love baseball and a little league team. The kids were due to play on their first “kid-pitch” team and Eric and Jason teamed up to coach them in San Francisco Little League.

The kids took to pitching pretty quickly, and they also took up catching to orchestrate all of the major league scenarios they could imagine. They couldn’t wait to play ball, but the LEAGUE-ISSUED CATCHERS GEAR KEPT HOLDING THEM BACK.

The catchers equipment was so old that little league couldn’t remember the last time they got new gear. The metal D-ring size adjusters were small and rusty, so kids and even adults couldn’t get the gear to fit properly on different players during a game. The small metal clips popped off mid game, and that slowed things down even more…

…Sound familiar?

Ultimately, the OLD CATCHERS GEAR WAS UNSAFE because we couldn’t get it to fit properly.

Get out to a field and play some ball, and you can find a lot of things in the dirt- friendships, teamwork, sportsmanship, and plenty of life lessons along the way… and if you listen closely and look at things differently, you can find some new ideas.

The kids (and coaches and umps) were frustrated and thought they’d rather have catchers gear with velcro like their batting gloves. The idea stuck with Jason for awhile and he figured why not take some old gear to his clothing factory and swap in some elastic velcro for the old straps.

OUR NEW GEAR TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY INTUITIVE SOLUTION that the kids took to immediately. The elastic velcro allowed us to eliminate the small metal size adjusters and clips. The gear was shared from player to player and easily adjustable to different sizes. Just stretch, stick, and go. It was even easier to take off.

Our team was humming along, transitioning between innings in a flash and staying focused on the game. MOST IMPORTANTLY OUR NEW GEAR SAFELY EQUIPPED EVERY PLAYER THAT PUT IT ON. Other teams noticed, so we made some more for our friends. San Francisco Little League thought we were onto something and asked if we could replace their old gear. We're eternally grateful that SFLL became a launch partner for our new company.

Our kids had an idea to make the game faster (VELO) and our company sprouted from the community vibes of recreational baseball fields in San Francisco (also known as The CITY by locals). WE WELCOME YOU TO VELO-CITY, our effort to help grow the game and have some fun along the way.

WE’VE REINVENTED CATCHERS gear and hope you’ll enjoy it, designed by our little league team specifically for the needs of youth recreational baseball teams to provide the easiest and safest experience for young and new catchers, as well as the coaches, parents, teams and leagues that support them. It’s our way of giving back to the game that’s given us so much and appreciating everyone who enables us to play in the dirt with our family.

Sincerely,

The VELO-CITY team

 

For the pat 12 years Jason has been a sports equipment designer and entrepreneur, manufacturing products in San Francisco.

Eric has 15 years experience in Major League Baseball working with the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s.

The kids are getting big and still love baseball more than ever. They continue to pitch and catch and come up with new ideas for baseball gear. Stay tuned!