Design FC: Building a Creative Movement for the Youth

In the past 7 years, Design FC has blossomed from its small beginnings in Chester, Pennsylvania to working with teams and brands such as EA Sports, New Balance, and most recently Bay FC. The organization aims to bridge the worlds of sport and design together for youth empowerment. Taking blank jerseys, students get to make their own designs that are their own experiences. In an increasingly digital age, Design FC is a breath of fresh air in creative self-expression. With that, we got to talk to founder Omri Gal on the students and experiences that help continue to push Design FC forward.

41: You’re not originally from PA, but you went to college around the area. What was it about the area that made you put down roots here and ultimately start Design FC in Chester?

OM: I grew up playing in and around New York, went through the academy system and then ended up going to play at Swarthmore, which is, you know, not what you dream of as a kid, necessarily, to go play D3 soccer at a small school, but it just ended up being the right place for me. While I was there, I received a small grant from the university to work on a social impact program and the idea for Design FC started from there.

What were some lessons and experiences that helped you run an organization like Design FC?

So this is a bit of a wild story but my family owns a restaurant in Brooklyn. We started off as silent partners but then after COVID the operators left, and we jumped in to save the business with no prior restaurant experience, during one of the hardest times for the industry.  It was really formative in terms of what it meant to lead,  to create systems for your business to thrive, and it gave me a foundation to grow my own organization.

You started Design FC during your college career, was it a hard decision to take a break from soccer?

Honestly, it was a pretty easy decision to make. I knew if I wanted this to truly work and see the vision come to life, all my time should be on this. Obviously I couldn’t play but that turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. It gave me so much space to fully dive into not only the work, but also everything that was happening in Chester.

What made you notice the lack of artistic resources in the area? Why did you think sports, and jerseys in particular, were the solution to provide the gap?

I spent at least half a year getting familiar with the Chester ecosystem. I was a volunteer coach at a soccer nonprofit, and I made connections with community organizers in the area and those who were focused on the arts. And through conversations with parents and kids and school teachers, the solution kinda presented itself. Kids were much more responsive to the idea of designing jerseys rather than just building creative skills, even though they were the same thing. Getting interest from so many different groups of students - athletes and non-athletes, made us realize we had something here.

A key part of the organization is the design process, how much research is incorporated in the students’ practice?

So my background is in strategic design, I owe a lot to the d school at Stanford for the skills that I wanted to share in a creative and accessible way. I thought I would teach these skills to the kids by designing jerseys but they blew me away with their passion and creativity. And we adapted enough to realize the real power was turning these jerseys as blank canvases for a kid to express, who they are, or like what means most of them, what's on their mind, or what they love most about their city.

How did the interest in an organization like this grow into a worldwide movement?

I think for such a small team, we’ve been very intentional with how we operate, that there’s no one else that’s doing the work we are. Our goal is to build a creative movement to impact the worlds of sport and design, and partnering with MLS, EA is showing that just sharing a bit of the resources sport has to offer for social impact can create something very special. And the more we’re able to tap into what’s culturally relevant to the kids, the more growth we’ll have for us and for them.

I know it’s hard for you to pick favorites, so I will ask which moments marked a turning point for you and the team? That you knew that you were heading in the right direction?

One big turning point was our collaboration with EA Sports. Two of our 7th graders had their jerseys featured in one of the biggest video games in the world, putting their city on the map. It was a surreal experience, having something so deeply personal from someone that young on a global scale. Those 7th graders were cousins that were part of our very first programs, and now one of them has their own brand, collaborated with major brands, and is applying to fashion school.

What are some current and upcoming collaborations on the way?

Our most recent one is a very special project from our Jersey Project Initiative.. We partnered with Racheal Kundananji from Bay FC and Soccer Without Borders to help the youth team create brand new jerseys that represent who they are, where they're from, what they love most about the Bay. We had the jerseys manufactured and then surprised the kids with a full kit launch—professional media day, photo shoot, the works. And they got to be honored during a Bay FC match. It showed just how meaningful it is when clubs and athletes back something that’s less about the game itself and more about giving young people a creative platform.

Looking ahead, we’ve got a major collaboration with Adidas and South Bronx United tied to the 2026 World Cup, and we’re expanding design programs across the U.S. through after-school sites. We’re also launching the Youth Creative Collective, which will bring together young people from across North America and beyond to tell their stories through jersey design and other creative projects. It’s an incredibly exciting moment—we want to use the global spotlight of the World Cup to showcase youth voices and creativity from around the world.

A big mission for Design FC is letting the kids take the reins in their work, take more ownership and responsibility in their own creativity. What’s been the biggest challenge, if any, in centering student voices?

It's really not a challenge at all, because the program is literally built around providing students with what they want and need. That's why we exist, for them.

Back then, Chester had a lack of art resources. Now, it has a growing hub of young artistic creatives. I know getting there wasn’t easy, but what excites you the most about what these kids have already achieved and the possibilities of what's still ahead? What’s next in supporting that original community?

It’s been amazing seeing the city grow, it gets a bad rap, but it’s filled with talented artists, organizers and leaders changing the narrative as we speak. And our students are part of it as well. We've been around in the city for so long that we like, we now have like, generations of families in our programs. There was a 4th grader that saw their cousin’s work on our website, and it was just one of many full circle moments we've had since.

So now, we keep growing. Expand more schools, Continue to provide those students with the best opportunities that we possibly can, and just make sure that we keep showing up week in, week out.