N.C.-Based and Largest Soccer Retailer in the World, Sports Endeavors, Partners with Private Equity Firm

Hillsborough, N.C.- based Sports Endeavors, the largest soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball retailer in the world and a Smith Anderson client, has formed a partnership with Seawall Capital, a private equity firm that invests in founder-led consumer businesses.

Seawall has acquired a majority stake in Sports Endeavors, the company behind Soccer.com and WorldSoccerShop, e-commerce stores for soccer players and fans, as well as 431 Sports, an online store that offers uniforms for baseball, softball and volleyball teams. The Moylan brothers, Mike and Brendan, formed Sports Endeavors 35 years ago when they were in high school and will remain minority investors while continuing to lead the company.

The deal sparked national media attention from numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal.

"Our partnership with Seawall Capital will allow us to help more people pursue their passion for soccer and sport by helping us shorten the distance on some important projects that will improve our reach, speed and support for youth sports organizations," said Mike Moylan, CEO of Sports Endeavors, in a press release. "It's an exciting time for soccer globally. Seawall Capital's investment will help us build our company aggressively to meet the upcoming opportunities we see arising from youth soccer participation growth, the continued rise of the men's and women's North American professional leagues and success on a global scale and the U.S. co-hosting the Men's World Cup in 2026."

The Smith Anderson team of attorneys who advised Sports Endeavors and its shareholders on the deal included Jon Bass, Kara Brunk, Josh Bryant, Josh Diver, Travis Hockaday, John Jo, Byron Kirkland, Caryn McNeill, Armand Perry, Will Robinson and Walter Rogers. Our firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions team provides an ideal blend of experience to offer both sellers and private equity acquirers on transactions. Our lawyers routinely represent sellers, investors and portfolio companies in private equity transactions ranging from $1 million to $3 billion.