Edition 24 of the SportsBiz Spotlight shines on The Goal Hanger…
We had a chat with the Founder of The Goal Hanger, Richard Horsted to learn all about the business creating infographic prints through the combination of sports data and art!
Introduction to The Goal Hanger
The Goal Hanger is all about celebrating your favourite sporting moments by combining sports data and art. We create infographic art prints which map out iconic sporting moments and are disguised as abstract art. Covering football, tennis, rugby, cricket, golf, snooker and more.
Tell us about The Goal Hanger: What do you do, when was it founded, what’s the inspiration?
The Goal Hanger was set up by myself, Richard Horsted, in 2018 with the aim of creating sports artwork which could sit in your house and not look overtly sporty.
We would all like a life-size print of our favourite player in the living room but you get to a certain age where that is simply not acceptable. The Goal Hanger aims to be a solution to that.
Each line of prints is inspired by a certain artist. For example, Jackson Pollock for the game prints, Piet Mondrian for the Tournament prints and Damien Hirst for our season prints. The designs are all data driven, which is an important detail of the project.
What’s your main purpose of The Goal Hanger?
There are two aspects to the business.
The first is the retail side and the aim of this is to create unique and meaningful products, often given as gifts. It’s great when you get an email saying thanks for creating someones favourite ever sporting moment and the memories it brought back for them. For example, a customer recently bought a game print of the final game they went to with their dad before they passed away. To know they’ve got that up on the wall to reminisce means a lot.
The second side is the design side, working with companies in the sports world.
We work with different brands to create merchandise or branding projects, often with a focus on data. This is a growing part of the business and we are looking to work with interesting brands in this space. So, just get in touch if you have a project you’d like to chat about!
If failure wasn’t a possibility, what would be your biggest ambition?
We have just opened up our first shop in CRATE Walthamstow, but the long term ambition would be to have a football venue where people can watch, play and talk football, data and art.
If failure wasn’t an option then having a shop outside a few major stadiums, where people can order the last minute winner they’ve just celebrated on their way home would be amazing.
What’s your unique selling point (USP)?
There are loads of great people creating sports artwork and particularly football illustration is booming. I think one thing The Goal Hanger has is the focus on data and a minimalist approach. This all goes towards trying to achieve a ‘grown-up’ style of sports artwork.
How many people work at The Goal Hanger and in what capacity?
Currently there are 2 full time employees. Myself and Noah who works on the Marketing and Social Media. Hopefully, we can grow the team a bit over the next year or so.
Who are your clients?
We’ve been lucky enough to work with some great companies in the sports world including These Football Times, MATCH!, Squawka, NPLH Magazine, Match of the Day Magazine, Wigan Athletic, New York Cosmos, The Blizzard and others. I think the key thing is working with clients who are willing to create interesting work and attempt to create something original.
Who would be your dream client?
As a Liverpool fan it would be great on a personal level to work with them! I am also a big fan of the work Mitre have done recently and their focus on grassroots. In terms of a dream client I think it would also depend on the project. Designing a data inspired kit re-design for Liverpool wouldn’t be bad (manufactured by Mitre).
How can people connect with The Goal Hanger?
If you want to get in touch then the easiest way is to email hello@thegoalhanger.co.uk or on our socials at @the_goal_hanger. Or if you are ever in the Walthamstow area drop by the shop! Unit 11, CRATE Building, 35 St James St, London E17 7FY.
Thanks to Richard Horsted for taking the time to discuss The Goal Hanger on the latest edition of SportsBiz Spotlight!
If you would like to feature your sports based business or know of an organisation you would like to see feature on SportsBiz Spotlight, get in touch.
