The Hearts of Pine will wear these uniforms when they begin play in 2025. Photo provided by the Hearts of Pine

The Portland Hearts of Pine professional soccer club’s first jersey features a famed outdoor clothing company as a sponsor and the logo of the Maine Office of Tourism printed boldly across its front.

The front of the jersey, at first glance, appears to be simply the word Maine in all capital letters. Look a little closer, and it’s actually written “MAINE.” The USL League One club and the Maine Office of Tourism announced a multi-year partnership in August.

Hearts of Pine debuted the jersey during an event Thursday night at the State Theatre.

“We’re Maine’s club. We’re Portland’s club. But representing Maine in this international soccer landscape is important. It represents our sense of place,” said club founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson said, adding that he could not think of a better front-of-jersey sponsor.

“There are unique marketing opportunities here and that was the appeal,” said Carolann Ouellette, the MOT’s director of tourism, film, and outdoor recreation. “This is a strategic investment. I would hesitate to call it a sponsorship. This is really a true partnership.”

L.L.Bean has also signed on as a sponsor, with its trademark name on the right sleeve.

“We’re very excited about that inclusion,” Hoffman-Johnson said. “The list of iconic Maine companies starts with them.”

The Hearts of Pine, Maine’s first professional soccer club, will begin its first season in USL League One, a third-tier professional league, in mid-March. The league has not announced a schedule, but it is expected that the Hearts will play their first four to six games on the road, allowing for completion of renovations at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Those include a new artificial turf, two modular locker rooms, new lighting, and a refurbished press box. The first home game will probably be in May.

The Maine Office of Tourism has a $24 million annual budget. Ouellette said the partnership is “in essence a media buy,” that MOT believes can provide exposure to target markets, particularly younger travelers, that have proved elusive with traditional advertising.

The MOT is funded through 5% of the revenue from the state’s lodging, liquor, and meals taxes.

“The state has a marketing budget that they’ve entrusted with an agency to spend it in a way that proclaims how great Maine is, and we’re proud to be part of that portfolio,” said Hearts of Pine President Kevin Schohl.

The club would not say how much any of the sponsors have paid to be part of the jersey.

Hoffman-Johnson, a former high school All-American soccer player at Falmouth High, said he and Burke Cherrie, the Hearts’ executive creative director, have been working on the jersey design since 2023.

The jerseys are manufactured by Danish sportswear company Hummel, the Hearts of Pine’s official apparel provider. Hummel’s stylized bee logo is on the right breast, with the club’s crest on the left breast. The back of the jersey will include the club’s Dirigo heart, which is part of the crest, and the slogan “Lead with your heart. Uniform numbers and players’ names will also be on the back, in the same white as the MAINE. logo.

The jersey features wide, horizontal bands of the same dark blue and forest green found in the club’s crest.

“The colors, for us it’s the inspiration, the lifeblood of Maine – the woods and the water,” Hoffman-Johnson said.

Choosing to go with horizontal stripes – called “hoops” in soccer parlance, according to Hoffman-Johnson – is less common.

“Celtic FC, a very famous club in Glasgow (Scotland), uses hoops, but it’s not used very often in American soccer so we liked the idea of us leaning into that as something we can own within this American soccer landscape,” Hoffman-Johnson said.

Both the long- and short-sleeved Polo-style shirts feature a two-snap neck, with the collar and short-sleeve cuff accented with heart-red piping.

A second jersey – lighter in overall color – will be presented in February, with a third, more whimsical design set for release in April. It’s standard for clubs to have three shirts per season.

The primary jersey in a variety of styles (unisex, long-sleeve, women’s, kids) is available for purchase on the team’s website. A holiday pop-up Hearts of Pine store will open at 65 Hanover St. in Portland on Saturday.

“We’re excited to show it to the world,” Hoffman-Johnson said.