The Power of Team

As part of a national championship winning squad, I am not unfamiliar with the power of teams. My coach Clive Charles always made it clear that each and everyone of us on the roster had a specific and important role to play. Recently, I was reminded of this when Umbro hosted one of our biggest assets, Manchester City FC, at the Nike Inc World Headquarters,
kicking off their preseason Summer USA Tour. 


Being a part of the brand team that led the visit was much like our race to the national championships with Clive - a battle, often all-consuming but extremely rewarding and fun. As my first major project working with Umbro at Nike, I loved the challenge of being a part of a team delivering on the expectation for excellence at Nike, from the state-of-the-art facilities to the outstanding service. Daily we witnessed the incremental progress of an English Premier League team in preseason, and the star-studded players (my personal favourite was Viera, a legend) and coaches (Kidd was my fav in this department) come together in preparation to defend their top-5 finish last year. For both the brand and the team, the visit was a huge success, and one that sent a message that being a part of the wider Nike Inc team will help propel Umbro to reinstate itself as the top football lifestyle culture brand in the world. And also, that true satisfaction comes from the journey towards a goal, the interaction and hard work people share when working towards a common goal - the power of team.


Check out the below for some 'power of team' type inspiration:


Portland Pilots - the best collegiate soccer team in the USA (I may be slightly biased) and where I played my college soccer


Vancouver Whitecaps - fresh yet historical (NASL to MLS), and my summer team during my playing days



World Cup Champs '99 - the Nike sports bra is the resounding image, but this team's soul still ignites the women's sport scene today

Nike and Wieden + Kennedy - together came up with the Just Do It marketing campaign in the 1980's and never looked back

Arsenal 2003-04 - Wenger's squad, that featured Viera and Thierry Henry, went undefeated



Portland Trail Blazers '77 - first and only NBA Championship for Portland



Apollo 13 - problem solving to the max









Please share this post if you liked it, loved it, found it inspiring, or funny (that's unlikely, I'm not that funny) or your eyes were zapped open by amazement - thanks!