About Us

Premier Soccer is the Triangle’s leading, and longest-running, retail soccer specialty store. From both our Raleigh and Cary locations, we are recognized for our exceptionally knowledgeable staff of accomplished soccer players and coaches and our carefully selected inventory of only the most sought after and proven soccer brands.

Our mission is to use our first-hand, global knowledge of the game of soccer to match players and teams with the latest and most enduring footwear, uniforms and equipment through competitive pricing and superior customer service. As players and coaches throughout Triangle-area soccer leagues, we sell to the same children, students and parents that we interact with on the playing field and sidelines. The strength of our local brand is paramount to this mission and we pride ourselves on being the ultimate soccer resource for all levels of players.

In addition to our retail services, we also outfit college, youth and club teams with custom uniform apparel and gear. We aim to forge as strong a bond between Premier Soccer and the playing community as the teams we dress create amongst themselves. Premier Soccer is also the exclusive provider of branded apparel, merchandise and team uniforms for the Carolina Railhawks, a member of the United Soccer League’s First Division.

Brothers Bill and Carter Hanckel founded Premier Soccer in 2001. With a booming population of young families seeking athletic outlets for children combined with soccer’s rapid growth throughout America, the sport’s grasp on the Triangle was growing ever more firm. Shortly after relocating to the Triangle, the brothers, who have played soccer all their lives, recognized a lack of specialized soccer knowledge and equipment in standard sporting good stores. Thus, Premier Soccer in North Carolina was born.

Capitalizing on a network of contacts and a proven business model from a Premier Soccer location in Norfolk, VA, Bill and Carter launched the Raleigh store from a new regional shopping center in the highly trafficked Leesville Road and NC 540 corridor. In February 2006, the demand for Premier Soccer’s outstanding service, knowledge and equipment mandated the need for a second location, which was opened in Cary Crossroads, one of the Triangle’s largest shopping centers, anchored by Best Buy and REI.

Bill and Carter remain entrenched in the local soccer community, playing and coaching, and continue to supply the Triangle’s soccer community with the best equipment and most experienced staff.