Introducing Rally Republic: The First California-Inspired Lifestyle Brand For Pickleball Fans

January 22, 2024

Want to showcase your college, sports team, or Greek spirit while playing your favorite game of Pickleball? Well,a new company named Rally Republic has you covered. Rally Republic has licensing agreements with most colleges, universitites, fraternities and sororities.

Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the United States, has more than 36.5 million American players. Rally Republic, based in sunny San Diego, has entered the scene as the first California inspired lifestyle brand designed exactly for pickleball fans.

Rally Republic was founded by a strong team of successful entrepreneurs in the licensed sports, e-commerce, and apparel. The team recognized an opportunity to bring their knowledge to the world of pickleball and create a brand that provides high quality and highly designed pickleball paddles, which are available now online at RallyRepublic.com and on Amazon.com, and in store at college bookstores and sporting goods retailers, including Rally House and Gameday Spirit. Expansion is on the way as Rally Republic plans to launch apparel, equipment and accesory lines.

The laid back lifestyle and vibrant culture of California inspired Rally Republic’s flagship paddles. They embody the West Coast vibe, with designs featuring checkers, neon colors, smileys, stripes, rainbows, lighning bolts, sunshines, palm trees, and more.

Rally Republic has licensing partnerships with most major colleges and universities, fraternities, sororities, allowing players to show off their college, sports team, and Greek spirit. In addition, Rally Republic is one of the only pickleball paddles whose carbon fiber paddles are licensed and approved by the USA Pickleball Association.

Chad Phillips serves as President of Rally Republic. Phillips is a 25 year industry executive within the sports merchandise licensing, retail, and product development space. Before Rally Republic, Phillips was Chief Merchandising Office at Follett HIgher Education, where he led the company to record breaking sales in licensed merchandise at its 1,000+ college and university campus stores. Also, Phillips formerly served as Vice President of Retail Development at Collegiate Licensing Company, and Senior Vice President at Rally House. A Chicago area native and avid pickleball player, Phillips is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Chief Operating Officer of Rally Republic is Mike DeCoursey. He will lead data driven strategies to create growth and expand Rally Republic’s retail and licensing partnerships. DeCoursey is the former Chief Executive Officer of CounterFind, where he played a critical role in transforming the online brand protection software company from creation to a multi-million dollar organization. Also an avid pickleball player DeCoursey holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, bringing over 20 years of software and licensing experience to Rally Republic.

“We are incredibly excited to formally unveil Rally Republic to U.S. pickleball community,” said Chad Phillips, president of Rally Republic. “To me and millions of others who play, pickleball is more than just a game -- it's a way of life. We are committed to creating paddles, equipment, and apparel that embody the spirit of the sport while helping players feel (and play) their best on and off the court. This commitment – combined with our team’s omnichannel merchandising experience and established retail and licensing relationships – will be the key factors in driving our company’s innovation and growth to become the most successful pickleball lifestyle brand in the U.S.”

For more information, visit Rally Republic at www.RallyRepublic.com

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