St. Louis CITY SC released a special piece of memorabilia over the weekend, a 303-page book that serves as a love letter to the place it calls home.
The book, Inaugural, features more than 200 photos—many of them never before seen— of the people, places, and moments central to St. Louis soccer culture. It’s a stunning collection of moody scenes that illustrate the on- and off-field essence of the sport and its connection to the region, while using local models, fashion, institutions, athletes, and other local touchstones to tell a story about St. Louis.
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To produce the first-of-its-kind commemorative publication, CITY partnered with SoccerBible, a global platform dedicated to telling stories through the lens of the sport. Although a book may not be the typical content produced by a club merely days away from making its MLS Cup Playoffs debut, the timing allows for CITY and its fans to reflect and celebrate the team’s unforgettable inaugural season.
Inaugural shows just how far CITY’s roots have spread across the St. Louis landscape.
“We take a lot of inspiration outside of the sport, whether that’s through fashion or the hype scene,” St. Louis CITY SC chief brand architect Lee Broughton says. “Everything you see in SoccerBible is a reflection of us. It’s a timeless opportunity for the fans to know the why of the club and its identity. It’s also something that will be treasured. It’s a little unusual, in that usually you would see essays or other media, but this is a visual recording of what’s happening in St. Louis in 2023.”
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The partnership with SoccerBible provided the ideal opportunity. SoccerBible’s goal has been to transform football culture. During a week in town, SoccerBible creative director Pete Martin made it a mission to find the quintessential St. Louis experiences. Martin admits he didn’t know much about the city and surrounding region before arriving, but felt determined to find and document people, places, and things that would resonate with local soccer supporters. It didn’t take long, Martin says, to feel a connection with St. Louis.
“We absolutely fell in love with it,” says Martin, who got a Ravioli Boyz tattoo at Self Inflicted Studios (1328 Washington) while he was in town.
Inaugural is a beast of a project, and the pages show off some of St. Louis’ best-known institutions. Among the local landmarks captured in Inaugural is Sk8 Liborius, the church-turned-skate park that burned down in a fire this past June. To help Sk8 Liborius rebuild, CITY and SoccerBible are also selling a limited-edition long-sleeved T-shirt dedicated to the skate park. Proceeds from the shirt will benefit Sk8 Liborius.
“In some ways, they were accidental collaborators on this project because the producers stumbled across the church just as they were coming out,” Broughton says. “So they got in, and they were so gracious in giving them a lot of time. It was such a phenomenal movement of the things that are happening in St. Louis. Then, of course, there’s the tragedy of it. They were there in March and then the fire happened three months later. We’re very invested in helping bring that back and making sure there is a skate park in that church.”
Another one of the shoots took place at Courtesy Diner and features CITY standout Niko Gioacchini. During a fireside chat this past weekend at CITYPARK, Martin praised Gioacchini’s participation as a model.
“Niko appears on four pages, and it’s not everyday that you get a player so willing to step out of their comfort zone,” Martin says.
There are several such examples in Inaugural, and the work by SoccerBible’s creative team also allowed the club to show off the community support that has made CITY’s first season so special. Some of Broughton’s favorite photos are the ones that illustrate the lengths to which CITY fans go to celebrate the team.
“I think the whole thing actually comes together really well,” he says.
