Football University
A full-day football training experience designed to turn product education into confidence on the sales floor.
At Robert Morris Island Sports Facility in Pennsylvania, Football University brought 140 DICK’S Sporting Goods associates into the world of Nike and Jordan Brand Football.
Structured around three phases, Educate, Service & Selling, and Compete, the program connected position-based learning, product comparison, customer application, and live cleat trialing within one complete training environment.
Focus Areas
Product Storytelling
Product Trialing
Retail Training
Spatial Design
Training Experience Design
Focus Areas
Athlete Integration
Event Production
Experience Strategy
Guest Journey Design
Interactive Education
Project Story
A Training Environment Built Around the Game
Football University 2026 gave DICK’S Sporting Goods associates a practical way to study Nike and Jordan Brand Football beyond a conventional product presentation. We developed a full-day training experience that organized the assortment around player positions, performance demands, product construction, and the questions associates encounter on the retail floor. Every part of the environment was designed to make technical information easier to understand, compare, and retain.
Associates moved through interactive Position Lockers, curated Nike and Jordan product galleries, service and selling sessions, and football-inspired trialing stations before hearing directly from athletes and coaches connected to the game. The program gave participants a clear framework for matching players with the right cleats and the firsthand product experience needed to make more credible recommendations. The result was training associates could carry back into stores and apply directly to customer conversations.
first impressions
The experience began with a complete visual introduction to Nike and Jordan Brand Football. Large-scale athlete imagery, styled mannequins, product displays, and branded architectural elements established the energy of the day before the formal training started.
The entrance was designed to feel closer to a football exhibition than a standard associate meeting. Guests immediately understood that they were entering an environment built around the game, the athletes who shape it, and the products they would soon study in detail.
Product Presentations
At the center of the experience, a museum-style hero stage brought together player lockers, historic football memorabilia, key cleats, athlete references, and educational content displayed across a large LED screen. The stage served as the primary orientation point and gave the product story a clear visual center.
Opening presentations from the Nike and Jordan Brand product teams introduced the day’s training framework and placed each cleat within a broader story of performance, design, and athlete use. Associates entered the education phase with a stronger understanding of what they would be learning and why it mattered on the retail floor.
Position Lockers & Interactive Education
Interactive Position Lockers organized the cleat assortment around the distinct roles players perform on the field. Each locker connected a position with its physical demands, relevant athletes, product facts, and the cleat features designed to support that style of play.
Position-specific statistics and interactive skills devices turned technical information into a learning format associates could explore for themselves. Instead of memorizing isolated product features, participants learned how construction, traction, support, and fit connected to the needs of an actual player.
Nike & Jordan Gallery
The Nike and Jordan product galleries gave associates a closer look at the Vapor, Alpha, Force, and Jordan lineups through curated displays, product callouts, athlete references, and performance messaging. Guided walkthroughs connected innovation, brand lineage, iconic colorways, and athlete relevance to practical retail storytelling. Associates could see how each product fit within the complete assortment and begin forming clearer recommendations for different player needs, positions, and preferences.
service and selling
The Service and Selling phase shifted the focus from what the cleats were built to do to how associates could explain that value to customers. The DICK’S Sporting Goods team led participants through features, fit, position-specific benefits, and the language needed to make each product story clear and useful.
Associates practiced moving beyond technical specifications to identify what mattered to the individual player. The session gave them a stronger structure for asking questions, narrowing the assortment, and recommending the right cleat based on position, movement, fit, and intended use.
Trialing Stations & Cleats in Motion
The Compete phase brought the cleats into motion through football-inspired stations designed around speed, agility, power, and reaction. Associates moved through the Agility Ladder, JUGS Machine, Flip Sled, Drive Sled, and Power Blaster while wearing the products they had spent the day studying.
The stations gave participants firsthand experience with traction, stability, responsiveness, and support under pressure. That physical understanding added conviction to the education, allowing associates to speak from direct use rather than product language alone.
athlete & coach presence
Appearances by Braylan Lovelace, Cam Heyward, Cruce Brookins, and Coach Pat Narduzzi added experience from athletes and coaches who understand the demands placed on football footwear.
By connecting education, spatial storytelling, selling practice, firsthand trial, and real football perspective, Agency 3-2 helped DICK’S Sporting Goods, Nike, and Jordan Brand turn product training into applied retail knowledge.
It has been nothing short of greatness working with Agency 3-2.
From quick turnarounds with short timelines, kid's moments, and content shoots, they have never under-delivered and always exceeded expectations. It has been a pleasure working with the team, and I am excited about the future to come.
Mike Stevens
Director, Jordan Brand Chicago