Senda Story

Based in Berkeley, California, we sell top quality soccer balls and training gear. As part of our mission, Senda develops long-term partnerships with non-profit organizations using sports to transform the lives of young people in the US and abroad. We supply durable soccer balls and other equipment to our partners, and we plan to provide training and sports curricula to increase social impact.

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Our Mision:

Senda’s mission is to make quality Fair Trade soccer equipment that connects and benefits athletes, and to promote sports as a tool for development.

Our Vision

Our vision is to allow young people build self-esteem through soccer, by having access to excellent coaches and soccer equipment. We are committed to:

1. Making high quality products that help players perform  to their maximum ability
2. Providing  fair wages and safe working conditions to those making our products
3. Increasing access to sports around the World, using it as a tool for social development
4. Minimizing our environmental impact with every product we make

Left: Training kit that Senda’s partner organizations receive.

Currently, we are working with coaches and partners to develop curricula that can be adapted and used by different organizations around the World.

Want to help develop the curricula? Contact us.

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Senda’s Founder

Soccer is king in Argentina, where Senda Athletics founder and CEO Santiago Halty grew up. He doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t play. But sports, for Halty, were more than a game. They were a way to spend time with friends, a path to self-confidence and the means to learn discipline. It is from that foundation that Senda –which means “path” in Spanish – grew.

Up to age 5, he attended the Claudio Marangoni Escuela de Fútbol, an after-school soccer club. “It was a great way to build self-confidence and be a child,” he said. During his school years, Halty also played rugby under a coach who was a real disciplinarian. “If you forgot to bring shorts, he wouldn’t let you play,” Halty said. “I was sad and angry if I couldn’t play, but the next time I would remember. It was frustrating at the time, but now I understand what he was trying to do.”

Halty became interested in Fair Trade while in college as he looked for products with a transparent story of how they were made. After graduating from UC San Diego in 2009, with a major in economics emphasizing international development, he traveled extensively and gained an appreciation for soccer’s global impact and traveled to: Marakesh, the San Blas Islands in Panama, Turkey, Colombia, Armenia, Finland, Mexico, Argentina. Everyone played soccer.

The same year, Halty also learned about Defensores del Chaco and their programs to help underserved youth in his home town. The pieces were coming together as he began researching ball factories. “We are creating a new path for young people,” Halty said. “Our logo is like a fast path. It comes from the bottom and continues forward, fast.” Sports are a fast path – Senda – out of despair.