Create A Castle, the award-winning modular sand and snow castle-building toy, has been crowned the Official Sandcastle Maker of the Beach Football League (BFL), the world’s only sand-based tackle football competition. The strategic partnership was announced on July 11, 2025, by BFL Founder and former NFL star Tully Banta-Cain. The collaboration elevates fan engagement during the BFL’s 2025 Summer Tour by blending beachside football action with immersive sandcastle experiences powered by Create A Castle’s patented kits.
Founded by Kevin Lane, the Connecticut-based family toy company joins forces with the BFL to deliver interactive events such as the Sandcastle Building Challenge and large-scale castle installations at key league exhibition weekends. This move enhances the BFL’s fan-first strategy while expanding Create A Castle’s visibility in family-focused sporting entertainment.
How did Create A Castle and the Beach Football League form this unconventional sports-toy alliance in 2025?
Both the Beach Football League and Create A Castle trace their origin stories to Southern California beaches, where their founders drew inspiration from watching beachgoers create joy out of sand. Kevin Lane, who conceived Create A Castle after observing a child struggle with sand molds, launched the product in 2016. Tully Banta-Cain, a two-time Super Bowl champion, imagined a new kind of safer football format while watching a beach volleyball game. Their shared appreciation for beach recreation laid the foundation for this 2025 collaboration.
The partnership cements Create A Castle’s role at every official BFL event, allowing it to set up themed experiences where attendees can build intricate sand or indoor castles using the company’s stackable split mold kits. The union marks a shift in the fan engagement model for sports leagues by integrating family-centric, creativity-led programming into mainstream athletic events.
What are the key details behind the 2025 Beach Football League Summer Tour and Create A Castle’s involvement?
The BFL Summer Tour began with a series of East and West Coast events, including earlier stops at Hermosa Beach and Santa Monica in California. Upcoming events will take place at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire on July 19–20; the Wildwood Open in Wildwood, New Jersey on August 9–10; and a headline event in East Rutherford, New Jersey, August 21–24. The latter, dubbed the “BFL Dream Beach,” features a constructed beach setup beside MetLife Stadium and the American Dream retail complex.
During each tour stop, Create A Castle will run sandcastle competitions judged by co-founders Kevin and Laurie Lane. Their activations include large centerpiece castles, the use of CastleMagic indoor moldable sand, and audience participation through themed building challenges. These attractions have emerged as standout features of the BFL experience, drawing crowds of families and spectators beyond football enthusiasts.
Why has Create A Castle emerged as a breakout brand in the toy and entertainment crossover space?
Since its 2020 “Outdoor Toy of the Year” win, Create A Castle has rapidly ascended in the family play and toy innovation sector. The company’s flagship products feature unique split molds that simplify castle-building without the need for traditional sand buckets. Their designs are scalable, weather-agnostic, and equally suited for snow-based play. The indoor BuildMaster line, a 2023 Toy of the Year finalist, extends the brand’s footprint into year-round table-top activities for children.
Its 2022 appearance on Shark Tank attracted investor attention, leading to greater retail placement and brand awareness. Institutional interest in Create A Castle stems from its blend of physical creativity, simplicity of use, and cross-environment adaptability. Retail availability through both brick-and-mortar outlets and its website has supported steady consumer adoption.
By aligning with a novel sports league like the BFL, Create A Castle reinforces its position as more than just a seasonal toy brand—it becomes a staple of multi-sensory family entertainment.
What broader strategy does the Beach Football League pursue with this partnership ahead of franchise expansion?
The BFL, founded in 2023, operates on a mission of creating a safer, more accessible form of American football. Played on sand with minimal equipment, the format aims to democratize entry into football for underserved communities and foster athlete development in non-traditional settings. Each exhibition event includes open tryouts for men aged 18 and older not currently under pro or collegiate contracts. NFL Legends and Hall-of-Famers oversee these tryouts and coach the selected athletes.
According to institutional observers, the BFL’s tie-in with lifestyle and family brands like Create A Castle reflects a broader commercialization roadmap. As the league gears up for franchise team introductions in 2026 and ultimately aims for Summer Olympic recognition, it’s strategically blending sports with community-driven attractions. This approach helps to attract diverse audience segments, from parents and children to athletes and brands.
Investor sentiment around this model remains cautiously optimistic, with analysts noting the league’s hybrid identity as both a talent pipeline and experiential event producer. The Create A Castle alliance illustrates the BFL’s pivot toward scalable engagement platforms that enhance both visibility and long-term monetization.
What is the outlook for Create A Castle and the BFL following the 2025 Summer Tour?
Following a busy exhibition season culminating in the high-profile Dream Beach event in East Rutherford, both organizations are expected to capitalize on growing visibility. Create A Castle is likely to expand into additional youth and sports-affiliated channels, potentially partnering with other outdoor events, school programs, or even sports camps.
The BFL’s next growth milestone will be its transition from exhibitions to structured competition via official franchises in 2026. Create A Castle’s continued presence could serve as a model for non-endemic brand integration, opening doors for similar sponsorships across family toy, food, apparel, and lifestyle verticals.
Institutional backers are likely to monitor KPIs from this year’s events—including attendance, digital engagement, merchandise revenue, and family participation rates—to evaluate scalability. Analysts anticipate that the BFL may pursue additional media distribution deals and merchandising opportunities, buoyed by partnerships that position it as more than just a sport.
The 2025 partnership between Create A Castle and the Beach Football League showcases a unique fusion of sport, creativity, and community. With both companies leveraging each other’s strengths—from Create A Castle’s product appeal to the BFL’s experiential event model—the alliance exemplifies a new playbook in multi-platform, family-first entertainment marketing.
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