/24-7PressRelease/ - Souderton, PA, September 13, 2008 - Kids sitting on benches. Injuries. Bad sportsmanship. Parents and coaches sparring. Is it even a mystery why most kids quit playing sports?
According to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, 70 percent of kids quit playing league sports (including hockey, football, soccer and baseball) by the age of 13. If you ask any child why they enjoy playing sports, they will all shout in unison - 'to have fun.' However, with apparel giants Nike and Under Armour clearly targeting professional and high-level athletes and youth athletic programs becoming increasingly competitive, who is focused on putting the fun back into playing sports?
The answer lies with three Pennsylvania parents, all of whom grew tired of watching kids being left out because they weren't 'good enough' and grew frustrated with the financial strain that sign-up fees, equipment and clothing can place on a family. They formed Guardian Wear, a high-performance sports apparel company, with the mission that 'Everyone Plays.' The company manufactures affordable, quality clothing for kids and adults in the hopes that everyone will become a 'Guardian Wear Family.'
"It's important parents and coaches recognize that kids can only control their effort - they can't control who wins," says owner Mike Mordan. "While kids should reap the benefits of healthy competition and physical fitness, it's also important to let them be kids, play with their friends and have fun."
To tackle the issue of affordability, Guardian Wear offers quality apparel at nearly half the cost of its competitors. Couple that with free ground shipping on all orders and parents are looking at several hundred dollars in savings.
Guardian Wear also offers a Buy Back Program to replace outgrown apparel. The company will buy back every used garment, in any condition, in the form of a 20% Guardian Wear Discount - good for a limited time on a future purchase. The items are then passed to organizations and communities that will distribute them as needed.
To ensure their efforts could benefit the local community, Guardian Wear owners created Malachi 3, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which helps fund programs of choice for children, parents and families in need. Through this affiliation, the company tracks merchandise purchases by zip code and donates 25% of profits in that area directly back to the community. Guardian Wear also offers a unique fundraising program allowing kids to create a Guardian Wear fundraising account online. All merchandise purchased through their individual site will be credited to the students fundraising account. The designated school or organization will then receive a percentage of the sale.
"Beyond offering affordable sportswear options for families, we try to identify the needs of kids and their communities and put 100% effort into creating programs to help them. It's a win-win situation." said Mordan.
About Guardian Wear
Guardian Wear designs and manufactures high-quality, innovative and affordable athletic apparel and products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Kids, parents, teams and individual athletes can now afford top of the line performance apparel without sacrificing quality. Based in Souderton, PA, Guardian Wear Co. also works closely with communities and athletic organizations to develop fundraising initiatives and contributes significant charitable funds to local and international communities in need. For more information, visit http://www.everyoneplays.com
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