OddBalls

Oddballs Apparel Limited is a clothing brand that manufactures and sells branded underwear, socks, sports jerseys (incl. football and rugby tops) as well as other sportswear and accessories with the aim of raising awareness around testicular cancer.

The company was founded in 2014 with the aim of raising awareness around testicular cancer and achieved this through frequent exposure and unique underwear designs. The motivation behind this came when Steve Harper's friend Jonás Gutiérrez was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

OddBalls currently work with some of the biggest sporting bodies and teams in the world, including the British & Irish Lions, England Rugby, Welsh Rugby Union, England football, England cricket team, and the Welsh FA.

2014–2015: Early history
The company was launched in September 2014 by footballer Steve Harper, rugby player Richard Metcalfe, and former CEO of Newcastle Falcons Paul Varley. The motivation behind the company came when Harper heard that his friend Jonás Gutiérrez had testicular cancer. The three men decided to build a brand around raising awareness around testicular cancer.

2015–2018: Collaborations & initial growth
In this period, OddBalls was able to gain significant exposure and coverage from the local and national media for a number of reasons.

OddBalls launched a scheme where they sent free pairs of boxers to people such as celebrities and the players of sports teams. In return, the celebrity or sport steam would send a photo of themselves wearing the boxer(s). These photos then circulated online helping bring attention to OddBalls. OddBalls then collaborated with many Rugby and Football teams by providing them with team kit (through OddBalls's sister company Core-37), as well as launching new product lines with these teams. Instances include collaborations such as with the Welsh Rugby union.

In February 2017 OddBalls moved into a new warehouse to cope with growing demand.

The full list of OddBalls's current collaborations can be found here.

2018-present: Expansion and growth
Since then, OddBalls has continued to grow the Brand through even more partnerships and celebrity endorsements, as well as the OddBalls foundation visiting schools (and other places) to give talks about testicular cancer. These talks are usually followed by guides for checking for testicular cancer being put up in the facilities mens bathrooms. Both have been effective in building the brand and name of OddBalls, all while serving the genuine cause of rising awareness about testicular cancer, which has been quite successful within the UK over the past few years, having helped reduce the size (and even prevent) such tumors.

In March 2019 OddBalls formed an official partnership with England Football.

In July 2020 OddBalls formed an official partnership with England Rugby.

In September 2020 OddBalls yet again moved into an even larger warehouse. The current warehouse is located in North Shields and is also used by OddBalls's sister company, Core-37.

OddBalls was faced with a challenge during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, but that did not stop them completely from shipping out orders (thanks to the digital nature of e-commerce), nor did it stop the growing of the brand, as customers were given the chance to submit their own designs. Some of these designs went on to be sold on OddBalls's website.

An attempt was made to penetrate into the U.S. market in 2022, although OddBalls has slowed down in order to focus on growing further within the UK market first, before expanding elsewhere.

Future plans
OddBalls is aiming to have donated £1,000,000 by the end of 2024.

Underwear
Being the first product ever offered by OddBalls, there are more than 100 different underwear designs currently available with many more having been discontinued. Customers can vote to bring back old discontinued designs on the website.

There are a few types of underwear fabric offered, such as cotton and bamboo. Women's sizes range from Size 6-20 and Men's sizes range from XXS all the way to a 3XL.

OddBalls is currently one of the biggest underwear brands in the United Kingdom as of 2024.

Hippy Jungle design
The first Underwear design ever offered by OddBalls is the vibrant 'Hippy Jungle' design. This design is currently still available on the OddBalls website as of February 2024.

Production of Underwear
OddBalls's underwear are made in China, although the company visits suppliers once a year to ensure that they are happy to keep working with them. OddBalls also claim to try and source ethically where possible.

Socks
Alongside Undwear, OddBalls also offer a selection of socks in various different sizes. There are also many different designs to choose from, although there are not as many sock designs as there are underwear designs.

Production of Socks
It is not clear where the socks are produced, but it is likely that they are produced in one of OddBalls's partner facilities in China, India or Pakistan.

Clothing
OddBalls offer a variety of clothing, ranging from oversized hoodies to training T-Shirts and rugby tops. These also come in a variety of different designs and sizes for men and women. OddBalls also offer bespoke clothing for teams and organizations.

Production of clothing
Hoodies, shirts and other sportswear are all made in OddBalls's U.K. facility, located in North Shields, shared with its sister company Core-37. They are made with a process called 'Direct dye-sublimation fabric printing'. The fabric is then placed in a laser cutting machine, the fabric pieces then stitched with sewing machines, followed by quality control (who cut loose threads and ensure everything is the way it is supposed to be).

Accessories
There is a wide range of accessories offered by OddBalls available though their website. Such accessories include caps, gloves, hats (regular and bobble hats), scarves, fleece blankets, towels, mini towels, and cushions. These again come in a variety of sizes and designs.

Production of Accessories
Towels are sublimated in-house in OddBalls's North Shields production facility, while production of other accessories is usually outsourced to partner facilities in China, India, Pakistan and other European countries.

Bespoke products
OddBalls allows customers to order personalized products ranging from scarves to umbrellas.

Bespoke team wear is usually made with the Direct dye-sublimation fabric printing method, while some products have designs printed on with a Heat press. These are all made in-house in OddBalls's shared North Shields facility with its sister company named Core-37.

Under bespoke products, OddBalls also manufactures licensed clothing for teams and organizations. In 2018 for instance, it manufactured Burnley F.C. underwear.

Social media presence
OddBalls has heavily relied on social media to spread the word about the brand (and raise awareness around testicular cancer). The spread and circulation of the aforementioned celebrity and team endorsements would not have been possible without leveraging Social Media platforms.

OddBalls currently have 180k followers on Facebook, almost 100k followers on Instagram, 87k followers on Twitter, and 27k followers on TikTok. They are currently verified on Facebook and Twitter.

Despite having reached lots of followers and being an original entity, OddBalls have been unable to get verified on Instagram and TikTok due to a few reasons, such as many fake accounts impersonating OddBalls, as well as having had many posts taken down under the pretenses of 'nudity' (due to the nature of the products being sold such as underwear).

OddBalls Foundation - Charity work
Alongside the OddBalls clothing brand, the OddBalls Foundation was founded by OddBalls specifically to undertake all the charity work.

The OddBalls Foundation organizes fundraising events and collects donations (from both individuals and the OddBalls parent company). The funds are then used to either re-invest in the foundation or to donate to charities, helping raise awareness around testicular cancer either way. OddBalls Foundation has also partnered up with outher foundations such as Doddie Weir's 'My Name'5 Doddie' foundation.

Facts and statistics
The company donates 10% from the sale price of each pair of underwear to testicular cancer charities through its own foundation, the OddBalls Foundation.

By 2021, over £600,000 had been raised for the OddBalls Foundation (and relevant charities). This number increased to over £850,000 in early 2024.

University ambassador program
The OddBalls Foundation has a University Ambassador Program, where university students can volunteer themselves for a year to help the charity grow and to raise awareness around the issue the charity stands for through various means such as delivering speeches/lectures to schools and organizations, as well as helping organize fun events for communities.

There are some criteria in order to be able to become an ambassador. Students must be aged from 18–24 years old, they must have a full clean driving license, and they must also have skills such as self-motivation, reliability, good time management, and the ability to speak well in public. All of these skills are necessary for the tasks undertaken by those who choose to become ambassadors for a year.

University ambassadors also have multiple targets which they must reach. They must deliver talks in at least 12 educational facilities (e.g. schools or colleges). They must install 'Check Yourself' guides in 90 different locations (30 per term). They must organize an event which raises at least £500 for the OddBalls Foundation. They should help post or support social media campaigns regarding the foundation. And most importantly, ambassadors must raise awareness around testicular cancer.

Despite all the requirements and the time commitment needed, there are quite a few benefits to become a University Ambassador. Ambassadors get to drive a branded vehicle around the UK (with insurance and charitable travel costs covered). Opportunities may open for future employment at OddBalls, as students receive attention from the OddBalls Foundation manager themselves. Ambassadors can add this to their personal records. They also receive free OddBalls clothing products. And most importantly, an opportunity is given to help make a significant difference to the cause of Men's health and the awareness around testicular cancer.

University Ambassador Program in the United States
The OddBalls Foundation has also kickstarted a University ambassador program in the United States.

A student named James Gray cycled across the United States for 40 days in an attempt to raise awareness around the topic in the states. Almost $90,000 was raised in the United States during James's journey, and an additional £21,000 back home in the United Kingdom.

Exposure and Publicity
OddBalls Foundation has received a good amount of exposure ands publicity, with a substantial amount of this due to OddBalls's bespoke team wear being 'sponsored' by the OddBalls Foundation, whose logo can be seen in the middle of many rugby shirts made by OddBalls. Some kit with the OddBalls Foundation logo are also given out to teams for free to raise awareness.

Additionally, the OddBalls foundation prints and distributes guides for one to check themselves for signs of testicular cancer with its products. So far, over 2 million of these guides have been distributed.