A Look Behind the Viral Match Ball-Inspired Ski and Skate Gear From Spencer Berry | OneFootball

Taking inspiration from World Cup match balls and other facets of the beautiful game, Spencer Berry has mashed up the worlds of football and winter sports like never before. 

We’re on the precipice of summer, with heatwaves already reaching much of the northern hemisphere, but let’s flash back to the blistery days of winter for the moment.

If you hit the slopes on the East Coast of the United States, there’s a chance you saw a board unlike any other. A flash of the iconic silver Champions League stars or the signature blue, green, and orange accents of the Brazuca match ball wasn’t a shot that went way too wide, but rather custom made equipment from 23-year-old designer Spencer Berry.

He’s been turning heads online and at the resorts with his designs of snowboards, skateboards, skis, and beanies. Using some of the most iconic football aesthetics, he has created a new subgenre that stands out in an oversaturated industry.

The tax intern from Massachusetts went from relative anonymity to getting kudos from adidas and millions of views on social media through his work, but like most seemingly overnight success stories, this has actually been years in the making.

Berry’s path into the world of commercial design initially came from wanting a new vinyl wrap for his snowboard. As the son of a graphic designer who runs his own sign shop, he had a lot of experience helping with printing and placing decals for signs and vehicles, so putting designs on his decks was a natural hobby.

He came across an old Brazuca ball in his closet, and while it was deflated and popped, there was still some life left in it. He used the design as inspiration for his new wrap, slapping it onto his board like Thanos popping an Infinity Stone. From there, he started exploring new designs, and expanded into skis and skate decks.

His sports and soccer ball inspired wraps have gained the most traction, but he has already amassed a versatile range of designs, from his own manga-themed snowboard, a United States men’s national team ’94 inspired denim design, and even a Norman Rockwell inspired skate deck for a friend. His next project is a deck based off the adidas F50 cleat for one of his Instagram followers.

“I do take a lot of people’s advice with how to design certain things, because I’m very new to this as well,” Berry said. “It kind of proves that a lot of people can do it, you just gotta put your mind to it and be consistent. Consistency is key.”

As he shared his personal designs, requests from friends to design their boards started to flood in, and he realized that there was a market for his work.

“It sparked something in me, that people have a want for this, that would make them different on the mountain to everyone else,” Berry said.

In the snowboarding world, athletes like Chloe Kim, Zeb Powell, and Shaun White have each changed the game in unique ways that go beyond their generational talent. Their unique personalities are translated onto the boards and clothing they wear in competitions, and their respective board and apparel releases are just as influential as cleat and kit drops are for football.

Despite these similarities, the two sports have never really come together as we have seen with other major games. Instead of joining an untapped market, Spencer is creating the market itself and showing what is possible. So it’s no surprise that the brand whose motto is “Impossible is Nothing” took notice.

adidas gave him a nod of approval via an Instagram comment on a Trionda-inspired snowboard post, and also sent him the official match ball that will grace the pitches of the 2026 World Cup.

If you’re sticking to the pitch and are not quite ready for the slopes and grind rails, or like me you have an injury currently keeping you on the sidelines, you can still be blessed with a Spencer Berry design. He recently dropped two lines of skull caps and beanies, and the reveal bagged him another wave of virality.

Perhaps the best sign of success and impact is the amount of copycats that have been littered across social media and websites since his initial launch, but comments on these pages from fans are quick to point out the OG and show love. The beanie itself is of course inspired by the Brazuca, but the thought to combine that design with another current fashion trend is lightning in a bottle. According to him, the process of design to final product has been different compared to the decks and boards, as with the beanies he is working with an outside manufacturer instead of just doing it in house at the sign shop like the others.

So what’s next for Berry? Well, that’d be getting a job, as he recently graduated from UMass. He was an accounting major, but also wouldn’t mind going deeper into this project and working long-term with the best in soccer. After all, rarely do any of our side hustles and hobbies have as much potential as this one.

Shop the entire line of Berry’s designs on his online shop, and follow him on Instagram to keep up with his latest drops.