Net gains for sports company's goal of innovation

CHANGSHA — A volleyball net, shaped like a cross, designed for a four-player match, and a baseball pitching target with a half-hollow net surface that allows the ball to pass straight through are not exactly standard forms of sports equipment.

These are just two of the innovative creations of Hunan Xinghai Sports company, based in Central China's Hunan province. So distinctive and complex are these products that they are listed in the company's product catalog simply via serial numbers, rather than names.

Its parent company, Hunan Xinhai, has a nearly 50-year history of fishing net production. But it began to rethink its business model, as many fishermen sought alternative livelihoods, since the government had ramped up efforts to protect fishery resources in the Dongting Lake, China's second-largest freshwater lake, and the Yangtze River, the country's longest waterway.

Recognizing that sports nets shared similar manufacturing elements with fishing nets, the company founded Xinghai Sports in 2016, and started engaging in the manufacturing of sports nets.

According to Zhang Yong, general manager of Xinghai Sports, compared with fishing nets, sports nets require greater resilience and durability to withstand the impact of high-speed balls, so the company improved its manufacturing techniques.

While improving manufacturing techniques was straightforward, finding a market for their nets proved more challenging. As China's traditional sports net market was already saturated with established brands, Xinghai Sports had to spend a lot of time looking for new business opportunities. The breakthrough came when it noticed numerous niche sports nets being sold on Amazon.

"We realized unlike in China at that time, where sports were traditionally associated with specific locations and techniques, many other countries treated sports as a lifestyle — accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere," Zhang says. "This meant that leisure sports nets designed for different ages, groups and settings were always among the best-sellers in such markets."

With this insight, it began reaching out to international dealers and agents via email, and by attending trade fairs worldwide.

Initially, it produced net products such as portable football goals and tennis rebound nets, which, though not yet mainstream, were in demand. Thanks to its fine craftsmanship and competitive pricing, it gradually gained recognition among overseas customers.

As the brand grew, it started receiving custom orders from creative clients. Last year, it welcomed two international clients to Hunan, who brought with them a design draft for a cross-shaped volleyball net. They had invented a volleyball game where four players compete individually, requiring a net unlike any other.

"It seemed easy at first, but the net required advanced craftsmanship, especially in ensuring the connections had both the necessary hardness and toughness," says Deng Zhuobin, manager of the company's R&D department. After about 15 days of design efforts, it managed to successfully deliver 1,000 nets.

"These creative and personalized net products have inspired us to explore the market further," Zhang says, adding that it has partnered with sports schools and associations in China to develop niche net products tailored to the country's emerging sports market demands.

As China continues to promote extensive fitness-for-all activities, its sports population has grown, driving a surge in demand for sporting goods. Data shows that the country's sports market value is expected to reach 2.8 trillion yuan ($390.48 billion) by 2025.

The 2024 sports consumption report highlights how niche and emerging sports are transitioning into mass-market activities in the country, effectively broadening the scope of sports consumption.

Currently, Xinghai Sports offers more than 1,300 types of net products across 11 ball games, including football, volleyball, basketball and baseball. Over 100 of these are innovative designs tailored to niche markets.

The annual sales of the company exceeded 120 million yuan last year, with 53 percent of its products exported to countries, such as the United States, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

"Many globally popular sports originated as simple games, and we apply the same concept to our products and business," Zhang says. "What starts as an innovative product, which cannot be accurately named yet, may become a household name in the future."