Football — or soccer, as many of us may call the game — is on the rise. More Americans than ever before are playing, watching, and following a sport that has often taken a backseat to others. We can attribute that success, at least partially, to the success of the US Women’s National Team, the popularity of Ted Lasso, and the reach of Saturdays Football. From hosting pickup games and events to finding vintage jerseys from the 1990s, the latter is the ultimate destination for this ever-growing contingent of soccer lovers.

What started as a streetwear brand has evolved into a lifestyle label that attracts fashion mavens, superfans, and curious passersby. With a new storefront at Rockefeller Center, we sat down with the founder and creative director, Matt Davis, to talk about the origins of the brand, his favorite gear, and predictions for soccer’s future.

Can you walk me through the concept of Saturdays Football and how the brand came to be?

MD: Saturdays Football started about five years ago. The name comes from what we used to say growing up — you know, everything happens on Saturday. Saturdays were the days for playing and watching.

The store started out with our branded gear, which included our hats and streetwear. Then it went into vintage, and now it’s about half and half: half football streetwear and half vintage football jerseys. We have the biggest collection of vintage football jerseys in the United States.

How do you source and curate your vintage collection?

MD: I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I have relationships all over the world with collectors, wholesalers, and others. It’s really my own network of people that I have known for years.

Tell us a bit about your events in and outside of the store.

MD: We host a lot of different gatherings. A big one is our free-to-play pickup matches. In the US, the whole system revolves around pay-to-play, and we’re the only brand that is constantly just setting up free opportunities for people to play soccer.

We also do kit trading events with Kit Con where people come and they can trade jerseys with each other. After every game a professional plays, you always trade jerseys with the opponent, so it’s very apt. And then we have a Kitted Out party where it's fashion, music, and soccer all together. We have DJs come, and everyone wears jerseys.

We do other niche things as well, like whiskey tastings [and] building LEGO stadiums. It’s always changing. 

How has the experience been being at Rockefeller Center?

MD: It’s been awesome. The foot traffic is incredible, the space has been great, [and] the community has really come out from all over New York, New Jersey, Long Island, and elsewhere to check out the store. We’ve loved it.

Saturdays Football is open at 55 West 49th Street from 12pm to 7pm.