There’s nothing wrong with a good cliche. You know, nice guys finish last. Never give up. Good things happen to those who wait. For Beau Catley, a very good thing recently happened for him and his budding sportswear brand, Nardo.
Nardo is an Australian soccer sportswear brand with the aim of making sportswear affordable for grassroots soccer clubs around the world.
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CEO of Nardo, Beau Catley aims to not only make sportswear affordable but also looks to give teams a wide range of customization for their kits.
“The Nikes, Adidas, Pumas and those, they typically only aim to service the tier one market, the professional landscape,” Catley says. “And if they do service the tier two and tier three, it’s typically just by using blank garments, off-the-rack type of items that you can’t really customize.”
Catley continued.
“A lot of grassroots sports clubs, football clubs in particular, don’t get access to the elite quality, design and customizability that all the professional clubs do,” he says.
Catley is no stranger to the clothing industry, helping co-found the fashion company Geedup with his brother Jake Catley.
Beau Catley’s early involvement in the company helped build Geedup into an international brand, establishing markets in the United States and United Kingdom and firmly setting itself apart in the clothing industry.
Following his time at Geedup, Catley helped to create Nardo in 2023.
The Australian company made headlines after they recently received backing from Australian soccer legend Tim Cahill.
Australian soccer legend, Tim Cahill partners with Nardo.
Cahill cemented his legacy with the Socceroos from 2004 to 2018, recording 108 caps with the Australian national team and finding the back of the net 50 times.
He also enjoyed a successful club career, playing for Millwall from 1997 to 2004 and Everton from 2004 to 2012.
Cahill also spent some time in Major League Soccer, playing for the New York Red Bulls from 2012 to 2015.
For Catley, the opportunity to work alongside the Australian legend is one he doesn’t take for granted.
“I remember watching Tim in all of our World Cup games, you know, scoring those goals and stuff, and now to call him, both a close friend and a business partner, it’s pretty surreal,” he says. “But this is the thing, is that you can’t get caught up in the shining lights of those things. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and I think we’ve got a lot of true alignment with Tim.”
Tim Cahill is an Australian soccer legend who has represented his country in the World Cup and now is a partner in a popular Australian sportswear brand. Photo via Mario Kneisl/GEPA via USA TODAY Sports
Cahill brings more than just his iconic name to the company however, for Nardo, Cahill offers many opportunities that could help Nardo reach the international stage.
“He’s a special advisor to the Crown Prince of Johor, the technical director of the Qatar Football Association, all sorts of different things,” Catley says. “So, to have that on our side and the doors he can open for us, yeah, he’s massive.”
And while Cahill’s name is important for the brand’s recognition, his behind-the-scenes contribution provides significant value to the company.
“I think the main thing is, we never wanted to just get someone with just like a name from their career, you know, we wanted a proper strategic partner,” Catley says. “Tim actually went and did his sports management degree at Harvard after he retired. He’s gone and got all these different licenses from FIFA.”
“What Nardo is building gives clubs the tools, identity and experience they deserve. It’s long overdue,” Tim Cahill on partnering with Nardo.
Nardo has created a much more streamlined and efficient process for consumers, allowing them to still profit while offering affordable prices.
“Leo is our AI agent that walks you through that entire process, from onboarding, to sampling, to designing, to quoting manufacturing, that’s all automated now,” Catley says. “So, our operational efficiencies mean that we can come in and undercut the market by around 30% to 40%, while maintaining about 80% gross profit and that’s a massive thing.
Alongside this streamlined process, Catley and Nardo cut out unnecessary intermediaries during the jersey creation process, allowing customers to connect to supply chains through their system.
Nardo has also expanded internationally, working with clubs around the globe as the need for affordable sportswear rises.
“We’ve been building different iterations of the platform over the past two to three years. The 2027 season will be the first rollout of the end-to-end experience,” Catley explains. “We’re piloting that with around 40 to 50 clubs, a bunch here in Australia, a couple in the US and Canada and then a few in the UK as well.”
Catley’s future vision of Nardo expands beyond its growth globally, focusing on how the company’s operating model could reshape how companies around the world approach uniforms and apparel.
“This isn’t just about making better kits. It’s about rebuilding the infrastructure behind grassroots sport, and bringing a level of identity, efficiency and experience that hasn’t existed at this level before,” Beau Catley on the opportunity for disrupting the global teamwear market.
“We believe that our platform is going to become the de facto operating system for teamwear procurement globally,” Catley says.
Likewise, Catley hopes Nardo’s impact extends beyond apparel, helping to change how grassroots soccer clubs operate around the world.
“We want to be responsible for reshaping what grassroots youth soccer and football looks, all over the world.”
A sportswear company from Australia, looking to change the game across the globe.
Follow Adrian Murillo Silva on Instagram @adrianms_official
